This document discusses data science and big data. It begins by explaining how the volume of data from various sources has grown exponentially. It then defines data science as work dealing with collecting, preparing, analyzing, visualizing, managing and preserving large data collections. Big data is described as having four dimensions: volume, variety, velocity and veracity. Examples are given of how companies like Facebook and Google process huge amounts of data daily. The document discusses techniques like parallelization for dealing with big data volumes. Applications of big data are outlined across various industries. Programming languages and skills needed for data science are listed. Finally, the high career prospects and compensation for data scientists are highlighted.