There are a number of technical considerations involved in choosing a database for a new project, but if you’re looking to learn a new technology, you need the reassurance that there is traction in the field and resources available to grow as a developer or ops professional.
Here’s why it’s the right time to learn MongoDB.
The Technology has matured
Product maturity grows due to increased usage and familiarity. MongoDB is open source and has grown along with the community--thanks both to code contributors, community testers and even those who vote on new features. If you’re learning MongoDB now, you will be learning to use a solid product that has industry validation and similar functionality to many RDBMS systems you’ve encountered before. You will also have the support of a community of experts who have been using MongoDB in different environments for three years or more.
You Need to Stay Relevant
Interest in MongoDB spiked in 2010, according to Google Search Insights and the momentum has only continued to grow. This is because the technology has matured, 10gen’s development on MongoDB has increased and adoption has grown. MongoDB has enabled developers to build new types of applications for cloud, mobile, social, making MongoDB developers an invaluable resource for companies looking to innovate in each of these areas.
In May 2012, James Governor posted Indeed Job Trends for various NoSQL products, all heading uphill since 2010, and MongoDB came out on top. Additionally, MongoDB is the most widely adopted NoSQL technology according to 451 Group's monthly LinkedIn Skills Index, with 45% of LinkedIn profile mentions in the NoSQL category. MongoDB skills are in high demand from businesses, and your peers are learning the skills to stay relevant.
You Need to Get Ahead.
Employers are looking for talented engineers who stay up-to-speed on new technologies. But even if you’re not looking for a new position, learning MongoDB can place you in line to lead a new project or oversee a large database migration.
Developers at companies like eBay, Disney, Carfax, Edmunds and Cisco are running large production deployments of MongoDB. Companies like The Guardian have committed to prototype all new projects on MongoDB--calling it the “MongoDB First” philosophy. If you work at a large engineering company, it’s likely that some new projects for social communications, advanced analytics products, content management or archiving could use a MongoDB backend. With the right expertise, you can position yourself to lead the project.
The Resources are there for you!
MongoDB has matured, and so have the resources for learning how to use the database. The docs, mailing lists and user forums are all at least three years old and are available in a number of languages. Additionally, there are community developed resources for getting started, including the Little MongoDB book. Here are some more materials for getting started with MongoDB:
- Online Education Courses: 10gen launched online education classes in November 2012, and have been adding on new courses every few months. 10gen’s 7 Week classes will help you learn the basics of data modeling, application design and operations with MongoDB. The next set of courses for MongoDB and Java will begin on May 13 and MongoDB for Developers will begin June 17.
- Training: 10gen provides 2-3 day training for Developers and DBAs. These courses offer a deep dive into MongoDB. 10gen offers training regularly in New York, Palo Alto and London, and offers training in other cities in the United States and Europe. This is ideal for those interested in getting started on a new MongoDB project right away.
- Webinars: If you’re chained to your desk all day, try attending an introductory webinar. At 10gen we host at least 1 webinar a week. These offer an in-depth, technical overview into a specific topic, and you’ll always get slides and video after.
- Conferences: Full-day conferences are an excellent way to get a good overview of a particular technology and its ecosystem. Not only will you leave with practical knowledge on how to get started, but you’ll also get to hear from production users who have valuable experience in onboarding development teams designing and scaling applications. Check out 10gen’s conference schedule for the rest of 2013.