Should "Big Data" be capitalised?

Big Data: Which job is better, as a consultant working on big data project and switching every 3-6 months (or) big data startup developing analytics product?

• I am interested in making useful frontends and providing scalable backends for users to visualize and analyze big data. I have less than 5 years of experience in software. There are two jobs in the market. One is consultant, who goes and recommends a solution  and implements it. Best part is, he can be switching to a different project every 3-6 months. There is no need to maintain, upgrade hardware, add small features etc. It is difficult to get acquired, and I won't make money other than salary in long term. The other option is to join a startup and work on a backend for 3-4 years, fix bugs, etc... I am worried that I get stuck with one product. However, if the startup gets acquired, I can make a lot of money too :) I think, the first option is better, because I get to experiment with latest technologies. what do you think? I think, this question can apply to other technologies too and not just big data.

• Answer:

  Thanks for the A2A. Your question reflects the difficulty people face while deciding where to move whether into a service based company or a product based company.Let us explore the pro's and con's.Pro's of being a consultant:- Learning latest/new tools & technologies (For recommending a solution) Short Duration projects (Typically less than 6 months) High Self Learning & Building knowledge of various technologies Prospects of challenging/different projects Gather knowledge of different domains Fixed Time office (mostly 8-9 hrs) Weekend's off. Con's of being a consultant:- No fixed location and required to travel on-site for projects. (Can be either a pro or a con but mostly con for married people or people living with families) Low Salary pay (as compared to product based companies) Not having core business domain knowledge (If domains keep on changing as per projects) Less chances of reaching towards higher technical roles such as architect etc. Working indirectly for a product based company. Sometimes people management takes over technical skills. (Not applicable everywhere) Less focus on core technical things such as algorithms, performance etc. Becoming a follower of technologies rather than becoming a leader by creating technologies/product. Uncertainty of future prospects post completion of a project. You perform work which you may not like. (Not always your desired project/work is provided) Now let us seethe other side as well.Pro's of working in a startup/ productcompany:- Better salary pay High growth chances as company grows Excellent core domain knowledge of the product domain (Gain Expertise) Become a part of company solutions giving you high exposure. Fixed location Higher chances to progress career and take key roles from technology and management prospective. Better chances of creating your own startup and succeeding in it. High focus on technology and its key areas such as designing a solution, algorithms,performance etc. Working in an employee focused environment. Considered as best minds in the industry shaping the future. Recognition and chance to grow vertically and horizontally. More additional benefits. Con's of working in a startup/ product company:- Stuck with product and technology. Might be working on old technologies on which products are built. No fixed timings depends on work & bugs which may occur anytime Need to be always in high availability mode to solve errors in production systems Not all companies provide 2 days off on weekends. High Risk environment High Job Pressure and the list continues for pro's and con's of each.After going through the pro's and con's you need to decide what are the most important things needed by you & create a priority list which will help you to decide what to choose.A sample priority list would be like: Want to grow vertically and horizontally Earn more money Want to become a future CEO/CTO etc. Become an entrepreneur in future Want to remain in technology in the future as well. (Need to decide whether you want to do development in technology or wanna switch as a technical manager for future) Based on the above priority list it becomes easier to decide to choose product or service company.PS: Both have it's plus and minuses but its best to evaluate the plus and minus as per individual needs.