Career Opportunities in Statistics
We collect data for everything. Virat’s batting averages, stock
market fluctuations, pollution levels compared to other cities, and right now
as the country struggles through the demonetization experiment everyone has
data on how much money is in circulation, how many ATMs are functioning, how
long will it take to print out new notes etc . The world is becoming more and
more quantitative and data focused. Whatever information you may have, there
are statistics to back it.
Statistics essentially involves putting
mathematics to scientific use in the collection, analysis, interpretation, and
presentation of masses of numerical data. Statistics is the study of the
collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.
Statisticians use this knowledge to design,
collect, and interpret data surrounding many different fields from economics,
medicine, psychology, marketing, public health, biology, even sports, and other
fields. Statistics plays a vital role in every field of human activity.
Statistics has important role in determining the existing position of per
capita income, unemployment, population growth rate, housing, medical
facilities etc. in a country. Different areas of statistics include crime statistics,
census statistics, ecological statistics, medical statistics, statistics on
education, film statistics, cricket statistics, oil statistics, market
statistics, accident statistics, labour statistics, population statistics,
election statistics, district-city-state statistics, tourism statistics etc. so
application of statistics is very wide.
There is abundant data in every field or
department. While collection of data is no small task, interpreting and
presenting it requires special skills. Hence a statistician needs to undergo
fundamental training in analytical aspects. Statistics, is a branch of applied
mathematics, but it’s not just about numbers. A statistician’s role is to give
life to data.
Statistics is indispensable in this modern age
aptly termed as “the age of planning”. Statistical data and techniques of
statistical analysis are immensely useful in solving economic problems such as
wages, price, time series analysis, demand analysis. It is an irreplaceable
tool of production.
Various responsibilities of a statistician include:
*Collecting information
*Developing newer and more efficient methods of collecting data
*Organizing data
*Developing newer methods to analyze the information
*Collecting information
*Developing newer and more efficient methods of collecting data
*Organizing data
*Developing newer methods to analyze the information
Statisticians are also heavily involved in the
development of products and quality factors. They often work for automobile,
pharmaceutical, or computer software companies in trial testing and product
evaluation. Apart from development, statisticians are also involved with the
manufacturing, asset, liability, and risk management, and marketing departments
of firms.
There are some important fields in which
statistics is commonly applied.
Mathematics: Statistics is branch of applied
mathematics, and also plays a central role in almost all natural and social
sciences. The methods of natural sciences are most reliable but conclusions
draw from them are only probable, because they are based on incomplete
evidence. Statistics helps in describing these measurements more
precisely.
Banking: Statistics play an important
role in banking. The banks make use of statistics for several purposes. The
banks work on the principle that all the people who deposit their money with
the banks do not withdraw it at the same time.
State Management (Administration):
Statistics is essential for a country.
Different policies of the government are based on statistics. Statistical data
are now widely used in taking all administrative decisions. Most government
organizations and agencies hire statisticians to evaluate population,
demographic, and economic measurements. Statisticians use sampling techniques
to determine sizes of relative populations and demographics, the unemployment
rate, literacy levels, malnutrition numbers, dowry deaths and many other
sociological issues. For example if the government wants to revise the pay
scales of employees in view of an increase in the living cost, statistical
methods will be used to determine the rise in the cost of living.
Accounting and Auditing:
Accounting is impossible without
exactness. For decision making purposes, so much precision is not
essential and the decision may be taken based on approximation, known as
statistics. In auditing sampling techniques are commonly used. An auditor
determines the sample size of the book to be audited based on error.
In Natural and Social Sciences: Statistics
plays a vital role in almost all the natural and social sciences. Statistical
methods are commonly used for analyzing the experiments’ results, testing their
significance in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Meteorology, Research
studies of commerce, Sociology, Business, Public Administration, Communication
and Information Technology etc.
In Astronomy:
Astronomy is one of the oldest branches of
statistical study; it deals with the measurement of distance, sizes, masses and
densities of heavenly bodies by means of observations. During these
measurements errors are unavoidable so most probable measurements are arrived
at by using statistical methods. For eg since the old days astronomers
have used statistical methods for finding the movements of stars and the
distance of the moon from the earth.
In Medicine:
The job of Medical statisticians
involves monitoring and surveillance of diseases and health patterns of the
sample under study. It involves establishing the cause of disease or the factors
associated with disease and death as well as analyzing studies to determine if
new drugs and medical devices are safe and effective for pharmaceutical
companies, medical research centers, or the Food and Drug departments.
Agriculture & Environment
In the field of agriculture and agri-business,
statisticians analyze data from agricultural experiments to increase
productivity and yield. They also evaluate the environmental impact of
air, water, and soil pollutants at a research laboratory, commercial environmental
clean-up firm, or for the Environmental Protection Agencies.
ELIGIBLITY
The minimum educational qualification required
in this field is a bachelor’s degree with a major in statistics or mathematics.
To apply for an undergraduate course in Statistics the student should have
passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with a minimum of 50% marks in the
aggregate in Physics, Maths plus any one of the following: Chemistry,
Statistics, or Computer Science. Though knowledge of mathematics is essential,
statisticians should also have scientific knowledge and the ability to use
computers to interpret the data.
Indian Institute of Statistical Science (ISI)
offers course in B.Statstics. (Hons) & Master’s in Statistics. For
bachelor’s in 3-year B Stat (Hons) course requirement is Successful completion
of Higher Secondary (10+2) or equivalent with Mathematics and English.
Selection of candidates is based on merit as judged by their performance in
written tests and interviews conducted by the Institute.
Specialized fields in Statistics in India:
Colleges/universities offer several
specializations in statistics at undergraduate, postgraduate and research
level. They include:
*Actuarial Science
* Applied Information Economics
* Biostatistics
*Business Statistics
* Data Analysis
SKILLS REQUIRED
*Statisticians must possess good IT skills,
numerical skills, analytical skills.* They should be able to assess results,
analyse trends, applying statistical methodology to complex data.
*Statisticians need to be flexible and have a curious and disciplined mind. *It
is very important to have a good background in computers as statisticians use
computers extensively.
They should also have intellectual creativity,
attention to detail, problem-solving skills, logic, and ability to take
decisions independently.
SCOPE
Students with a degree in B.Sc. Statistics are
eligible to apply for various jobs in Banking, IT, Quality control etc. They
can even take up Actuarial Science as a specialization and join in various
financial and share trading companies. Candidates with good flair and knowledge
in Statistics are in huge demand in the present scenario.
A student with Masters or Ph.D. in Statistics
can apply for jobs such as business analyst, statistics lecturer, professor
etc. They can also go for jobs like software engineer, investigative officer,
statistics analyst, researcher etc.
Statisticians can work as:
*Econometrician
*Econometrician
*Statistician
*Research Analyst
*Research Analyst
*Biostatistician
*Biometrician
*Biometrician
*Epidemiologist
*Data Scientist
*Data Scientist
*Sports Statistician
*Medical Statistician
*Medical Statistician
Jobs in Government Sector after Bachelor’s in Statistics
Most government organizations and agencies
hire statisticians to evaluate population, demographic, and economic
measurements. Many other environmental, scientific, and agricultural agencies
hire statisticians for similar type of work in their respective fields. Even
national defence organizations hire statisticians to assess weapons and
strategy effectiveness.
In the government sector, UPSC carries out
entrance exam as to recruit candidates to the Indian Statistical Services. For
this a Masters in Statistics or math’s is required to apply for the post. The
SSC also carries out a recruitment process as to appoint eligible candidates
into the Statistical Investigators post. The Private sector also requires
qualified Statisticians in the Insurance, IT and software fields. Some of the
most renowned global Statistical organizations are Euro-stat, IAOS, OECD,
PARIS21 and UNESCO.
SOME OF THE COLLEGES OFFERING COURSES IN STATISTICS
*Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Bangalore
*Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, Mumbai
*Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi
*University of Delhi (DU), Delhi
*Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI)
*Loyola College, Chennai
*Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Calcutta *St. Xavier’s
College, Mumbai
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