What is a Statistician?
If you love math, and are detail-oriented and organized, you may want to consider a career as a statistician!
Statisticians use mathematical techniques to analyze and interpret data and draw conclusions. They are in demand across a variety of industries due to businesses realizing how valuable data-driven decision making is.
What does a Statistician do?
Statisticians design surveys, experiments, and opinion polls to collect data. They also determine the type and size of the sample to be surveyed or polled.
Some surveys, such as the national census, include data from nearly everyone. For most surveys and opinion polls, however, statisticians use sampling to collect data from some people in a particular group.
Statisticians typically do the following:
- Determine the questions or problems to be addressed
- Decide what data is needed to answer questions or problems
- Determine methods for finding or collecting data
- Design surveys or experiments or opinion polls to collect data
- Collect data or train others to do so
- Analyze and interpret data
- Report conclusions from their analyses
Statisticians develop survey questionnaires or reporting forms for collecting the data they need. They often write instructions for workers who collect and tabulate the data. Surveys may be mailed, conducted over the phone, or collected online or through some other means.
Statisticians analyze the data that is collected. In their analyses, they calculate averages, reliability, and other specifics. They also choose and conduct tests to find out the data’s reliability and validity. They explain the limitations of the data to prevent inaccurate conclusions from being drawn, and they identify trends and relationships.
Statisticians use computers with specialized statistical software to analyze data. Some help to create new statistical software packages to analyze data more accurately and efficiently. They write reports to explain their findings and the data’s limitations. They may present their reports to other team members and to clients with tables, charts, and graphs. They also recommend how to improve the design of future surveys or experiments.
What is the workplace of a Statistician like?
Statisticians work for the government (mostly at the federal level) and private businesses (such as pharmaceutical and insurance companies). They also work in teams with other professionals.
For example, in pharmaceutical companies, statisticians may work with scientists to test drugs for government approval. In insurance companies, they may work with actuaries to calculate the risks of insuring different situations.
Because statisticians in business provide advice on research projects or oversee the gathering of data, they travel occasionally for face-to-face meetings with team members.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an actuary and a statistician?
Both actuaries and statisticians have similar skills sets, such as computer knowledge, mathematical knowledge, and the use of statistical techniques. Where they differ is their employment settings, and the scope of their work.
Actuaries work specifically within the insurance industry, and handle data related to risk, providing companies with statistical probabilities of future occurrences. They focus on the financial losses that are associated with accidents, illnesses and natural disasters, and help insurance companies assign what coverage and premiums the client should be charged.
Statisticians (sometimes called data scientists) can work in a variety of settings, with multiple types of data. They are employed in banks, government agencies, consulting firms, technology firms, health-care organizations.. anywhere that collects and handles large amounts of data. They use statistical techniques to extract, analyze and summarize, turning complicated data sets into usable information. This information is then given to management, which will in turn use it to make informed decisions and policies.
Statisticians are also known as:
Statistical Analyst
Professional Statistician
Associate Statistician