I am a 35 year old IT professional who is purely technical. I am good at programming, learning new technologies, understanding them and implementing. I did not like mathematics at school, so I didn't score well in mathematics. I am very much interested in pursuing a career in Big Data analytics. I am more interested in Analytics rather than Big Data technologies (Hadoop etc.), though I do not dislike it.  However, when I look around in the internet, I see that, people who are good in analytics (Data Scientists) are mainly Mathematics graduates  who have done their PHds and sound like intelligent creatures, who are far far ahead of  me. I get scared sometimes to think whether my decision is correct, because learning advance statistics on your own is very tough and requires a of hard work and time investment. I would like to know whether my decision is correct, or should I leave this piece of work to only intellectuals who have spend their life in studying in prestigious colleges and earned their degrees and PHDs.
Career switch to Big Data Analytics
career
Due to high demand, it is possible to start a career in data science without a formal degree. My experience is that having a degree is often a 'requirement' in job descriptions, but if the employer is desperate enough, then that won't matter. In general, it's harder to get into large corporations with formalized job application processes than smaller companies without them. Knowing people can get you a long way, in either case.Regardless of your education, no matter how high demand is, you must have the skills to do the job.You are correct in noting that advanced statistics and other mathematics are very hard to learn independently. It is a matter of how badly you want to make the career change. While some people do have 'natural talent' in mathematics, everybody does have to do the work to learn. Some may learn more quickly, but everybody has to take the time to learn. What it comes down to is your ability to show potential employers that you have a genuine interest in the field, and that you will be able to learn quickly on the job. The more knowledge you have, the more projects you can share in a portfolio, and the more work experience under your belt, the higher level jobs that will be available to you. You may have to start  in an entry level position first.I could suggest ways to study mathematics independently, but that isn't part of your question. For now, just know that it's hard, but possible if you are determined to make a career change. Strike while the iron is hot (while demand is high).