What is A statistician?
“I absolutely fell in love with statistics,” says Devan Mehrotra, Executive Director of Biostatistics at Merck Research Laboratories. “Any real-world problem almost always requires analyzing and interpreting data and creating value-added solutions. Using statistics.”
In addition, Mehrotra has witnessed the close collaboration of statisticians with colleagues from biomedical sciences, computer science, environment, genetics and social sciences, as well as participation in quantitative solutions related to human rights and the fight against terrorism. Mehrotra says, “Statistics is one of the oldest professions in the world; it dates back to the 1700s. There’s a tremendous history…and now there are more exciting opportunities. It’s never been a better time to be a statistician.”
While some may confuse statisticians with the growing profession of data scientist, the fields have key differences. Statistics is only one component of data science. Data scientists must have a basic working knowledge of statistics. However, data scientists tend to focus more on software programming and machine learning than statisticians. Data scientists may serve as lead software engineering coordinators in companies with smaller data science teams. Data scientists must have data capture skills that are not necessarily expected of statisticians.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected employment growth of 35.4 percent for statisticians between 2020 and 2030. During this period, about 14,900 jobs should be created.
How much does a statistician earn?
How to become A statistician?
“People need statisticians, people with the right level of training, who ask the right questions, who know how much data to collect, and who know how to apply statistical principles,” says Mehrotra. These days, even people with a bachelor’s degree in statistics have tremendous potential.
Job Satisfaction
The average American works well into their 60s, so workers may have an enjoyable and fulfilling career. A job with a low stress level, good work-life balance, and strong prospects for improvement, promotion, and higher pay make many employees happy. Here’s how Statisticians Job satisfaction is rated in terms of upward mobility, stress level and flexibility.