What kind of careers would be connected with Math and statistics more directly?
I'm a 11th grade student. I'm pretty good at Math and I'm very interested in Statistics. So I really want to know what kind of work I could do that will use statistics? #mathematics
3 answers
Kavita Jain
Kavita’s Answer
Hi Jacqueline!
Great to hear you interest in Math and Statistics.
Math and Statistics are being used more and more in diverse industries as amount of data being generated is growing - mostly produced by machines (web servers, telemetry, sensor data, Financial instrument etc). Given the voluminous nature of this data, there are big challenges to analyze it. That is where statistics and machine learning comes into play - to find meaning and patterns, followed by data driven decisions.
Once you have completed your education in these areas (mostly a Masters and/or PhD is required), you can work as a Data Scientist in a tech company, as an investment banker, a bio-statistician or even an economist.
Hope this helps and Good luck!
Terence’s Answer
Awesome to hear you're into Math and Statistics. The reality is that a strong base in math and statistics is a great foundation for a lot of careers. The logic and problem solving skills required to understand math and stats are applicable to many jobs that are spread into a variety of industries. People here have mentioned data science, there's also strategy and operations that are heavily based on constructing statistical models.
My suggestion would be to also think about what you'd like to apply those skills to. This requires thinking about and understanding your likes and dislikes, so that you can blend your interests with your skill set. For example, you may like to work within a team and interact with people, or you may prefer to work and figure out problems on your own. There are roles requiring a math/stats background that fit either interaction or more self-driven work (and everything in between).
The way I think of it is that there is are jobs across the entire spectrum, similar to the entire palate of colors out there. You can take your numerical/analytical skills, blend them with your own interests and personality to find the right "shades" to form your career path.
Christopher’s Answer
Data scientist / data analyst is a career that leans heavily on statistics and will probably be in demand for the foreseeable future. Check out the Wikipedia entry for some good information about the field.
Thank you!
Jacqueline