Big Data Analytics is a topic fraught with both positive and negative potential. Big Data is defined not just by the amount of information involved but also its variety and complexity, as well as the speed with which it must be analyzed or delivered. The amount of data being produced is already incredibly great, and current developments suggest that this rate will only increase in the near future. Improved service should result as companies better understand their customers, but it is also possible that this data will create privacy problems. Thus, Big Data is important not only to students who hope to gain employment using these techniques and those who plan to use it for legitimate research, but also for everyone who will be living and working in the 21st Century.