Cleaning files and searching for duplicates – this is what the digital waste recycler does. The volume of data is growing every year, as is the need for such specialists.
We tell you what skills recyclers need and how to get them
Who is a digital waste recycler?
A digital waste recycler in the field of Big Data is a specialist who sorts, organizes and destroys unnecessary data both on physical media and on cloud servers.
Every year the volume of unnecessary information grows due to the development of Big Data. In 2023, the world will generate 120 zettabytes of data, or 328.77 million terabytes per day, and by 2025 this volume will be more than 180 zettabytes. Big Data can overwhelm systems, so there is a growing need for professionals who can clear media of excess information, copies and broken data to avoid overflowing.
What does a digital waste recycler do?
A specialist in this profession will analyze data on the network using Big Data tools and develop special algorithms that automatically remove unnecessary information. Individual specialists will also work on new ways to compress files to reduce their weight.
The recycler can work not only with company systems, but also with the data that any Internet user produces when he visits websites, sends letters, or performs other actions online. Such a specialist is able to identify duplicate information, spam mailings, old correspondence and broken or malicious files that are located on the network and transferred from one server to another.
Basic skills of a digital waste recycler
Since the work of a digital waste recycler is essentially related to the professions of a data engineer and partly a data analyst , such an employee will need knowledge:
- data structures and mathematical algorithms. This will allow you to understand exactly how data is stored in order to correctly retrieve and process it;
- programming languages. Algorithms for data processing are written in Python, and tools for data processing are written in Java and Scala;
- SQL (Structured Query Language, structured query language) and databases. Such
- queries allow you to retrieve data from databases;
- tools for working with big data ;
- cloud technologies. Many companies work with data in the clouds;
basics of machine learning. AI skills will help in data modeling and statistical analysis, and the introduction of new tools will automate many processes.
Profession trends
According to ReportLinker analysts, the Big Data processing industry is expected to experience significant growth in the coming years due to the demand for analytical data in various sectors. The global data science market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.6% from 2023 to 2027. Its rise will be driven by several key factors, including the rapid development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as the growing volume of structured and unstructured data generated by enterprises.
The global data platform market is expected to grow from the current $189.5 billion to $1.1 trillion by 2030, at a CAGR of 25%. This is due to several trends.
The rise of big data. With the development of the Internet of Things, social networks and other data sources, companies need more specialists in processing and filtering information.
Focus on data-driven decision making. To analyze arrays of information, it must first be filtered and visualized.
The advent of advanced analytics. Machine learning and other advanced analytics require advanced support, including managing data storage and retrieval.
Demand for real-time data processing .
Since there are no vacancies for digital waste disposers on the Russian market yet, it is also premature to talk about salaries. However, you can roughly estimate them if you look at how much specialists in related fields receive. Salaries of data engineers on HeadHunter start from 200 thousand rubles. According to the Rabota.ru portal, the average salary of a data engineer is 230 thousand rubles.
Where did the profession come from?
The work of a recycler can be called adjacent to the work of a data engineer, who collects data, cleans it and structures it, as well as configures the loading and movement of data between tools. However, about 45% of the working time of such specialists is spent on loading (19%) and cleaning data (26%). With the growing volume of information, digital waste recyclers will begin to fulfill these responsibilities.
LinkedIn included data engineer in its 2020 New Jobs Report, which showed that the growth rate of hiring professionals for this role has increased by almost 35% since 2015. According to Zippia analysts, the number of data engineer vacancies will increase by 21% by 2028 compared to 2018.
How to become a digital waste recycler
Russian universities and online schools do not yet have training programs in this area. To prepare yourself for future work as a digital waste recycler, you can undergo training as a data engineer. This will give you an idea of how to work with big data and machine learning technologies. Software engineers are trained by universities such as MSTU. Bauman, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, RTU MIREA and National Research University Higher School of Economics.
You can also take online training to become a data engineer. They are offered by Skillbox , Skill Factory , Yandex.Practicum , Netology and other educational platforms.
If you have experience working in IT, you can also take separate courses that will allow you to gain basic skills that are important for your specialty, for example, a free course on the basics of programming in Python or SQL from Codecademy. Courses on algorithms and tools for working with databases can be found on the Stepik resource. In addition, there are many collections of free resources, books and video tutorials on the profession.
