Statistician Career Description
Statistics gives meaning to numbers and includes all the ways in which information is collected, processed and interpreted.
What am I going to do in this occupation?
Academic / research statisticians
Academic and research statisticians are concerned with the training of students and statistical research in a chosen specialized field. New theories are developed and existing theories are revised, providing the theoretical foundations upon which the applied statistician depends. Basic research in statistical theory is mainly conducted at universities.
Applied statisticians
Applied statisticians are concerned with problems of data interpretation faced by the commercial, industrial and scientific sectors. They assist in planning procedures to collect and analyze information. Applied statisticians work in such diverse fields as finance, economics, engineering, medicine, psychology, astronomy, chemistry, life insurance and
agriculture. They are responsible for the design of the sampling procedures and experiments and are able to calculate the reliability of the conclusions.
Many other professionals such as actuaries, operations researchers and economists require a sound knowledge of statistics.
Requirements
What kind of personality do I need? Statisticians should have a mathematical aptitude and be able to reason logically and have a good sense for analyzing problems. They should also be able to interact with, and present their findings in an understandable fashion, to a variety of people who are not skilled in statistical matters. Statisticians usually will be required to deal with large data sets whose processing requires the help of a computer. Statisticians should therefore be able to use computers competently.
Where can I work?
Statisticians are needed in any area of the public and private sectors, where data is collected, processed and analyzed for decision making.
Can I work for myself in this occupation?
Many statisticians act as consultants to the private and public sector.
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