Should I be a statistician?

Can you become a millionaire by learning statistics to crack the lottery code?

Surprisingly, no...

But if you're passionate about numbers, you can make a good living as a statistician!

Statisticians solve real-world problems for businesses and governments by looking at statistical trends.

Some examples:

• Predicting weather and natural hazards

• Managing the impact of climate change

• Reducing hunger by assessing food trends

You can change the world with statistics!

You can use statistics to become a professional baseball manager or a member of the data science team of a U.S. presidential campaign.

The duties of a statistician incorporate :

• Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to identify trends and highlight important statistical relationships

• Designing ways to optimize data collection

• Explaining your findings to stakeholders (project managers, service providers, government officials, etc)

• Helping businesses make decisions and develop strategies based on data

The minimum academic requirement is a bachelor’s degree in Statistics or Applied Mathematics.

A graduate degree (master’s or doctoral) is typically required for higher level positions. A doctoral degree (PhD) is usually required to work in a research-intensive position.

Typical Employers of Statisticians:

• Banks and trust companies

• Insurance companies

• Governments

• Universities

• Pension benefit consulting firms

• Science & engineering firms

Average yearly salary for a statistician in Canada is $85,578.

Average yearly salary for a statistician in America is $97,951.

You'll love the job if you...

• Enjoy analyzing the patterns and anomalies in data

• Have an interest in using technology to figure out data

• Can communicate data effectively

• Have a degree in statistics, mathematics, or related work experience

You'll hate the job if you...

• Have difficulty analyzing the meaning of data

• Have an interest in more abstract concepts rather than numbers

• Have difficulty sitting at a desk all day

• Are not willing to work with a consistent 9-5 routine

These two statisticians were pioneers in their fields:

Florence Nightingale

• Developed ways to represent statistics in visually accessible ways

• Used data to help India improve its medical system

David Blackwell

• Made important contributions to game theory, probability theory, information theory, and Bayesian statistics

• Wrote an influential textbook, Basic Statistics

Are you interested in the profession?