In the third quarter of 2014, pay for big data skills wasn't growing as fast as it had been. Many organizations invested a lot of money in big data, but the ROI is tough to find. As a result, according to Foote, many big data skills fell off the list in Q3. "A bunch of big data skills dropped off that list [skills with the highest pay premiums]. Is big data hitting a bump in the road? Yes it is," says Foote.
Foote says many organizations thought they could realize the power of big data by hiring the right people but, in fact, the current culture in organizations is the biggest stumbling block to success.
Based on some unpublished 4th quarter data, Foote offers some insight on the growth of big data in 2015. In Q3, Foote says he suspects that companies were reorganizing their big data efforts but now things seem to be heading in the right direction again. "Big data skills did hit a bump but they are back on our forecast list based on 4Q data and the recent interviews in the field, "says Foote.