| Statisticians are responsible for using mathematical | | | | masters level in order to obtain employment with a |
| knowledge in order to collect and analyze numerical | | | | private corporation. The Federal government |
| data, frequently using such methods as opinion polls | | | | frequently allows statisticians to apply to jobs with |
| and publicly available information in order to draw | | | | only a bachelor's degree. |
| statistical inference about various topics. Statisticians | | | | Training will frequently involve classes in engineering, |
| may apply their knowledge to the fields of | | | | statistical analysis, mathematics, and other fields. |
| economics, medicine, marketing, education, | | | | Statisticians may specialize in a particular field such as |
| engineering, and many others. | | | | biology or chemistry in order to work for a drug |
| For example, those working for drug manufacturers | | | | manufacturer, while others may specialize in |
| must design clinical trials in order to have a drug | | | | agricultural science in order to determine the |
| approved by the FDA, and a statistician will collect | | | | productivity of new crops. Others still may specialize |
| the data and determine the results of these medical | | | | in economics in order to perform market research |
| trials. | | | | and forecasting for the Federal government. |
| It is common for statisticians to take a small sampling | | | | In 2006, statisticians had about 22,000 jobs in |
| of the population in order to draw inference about | | | | America, with about a fifth of these working for the |
| the population as a whole. For example, a television | | | | Federal government and a tenth working for state |
| agency will serve a few thousand viewers in order to | | | | agencies. The rest worked in the areas of |
| gain information about their viewing audience and to | | | | pharmaceutical manufacturing and scientific research, |
| target their programming to that group. It is | | | | in addition to insurance agencies. Job prospects for |
| increasingly common for statisticians to use computer | | | | these individuals are fairly strong, and those with an |
| technology in order to calculate statistical data, and | | | | advanced degree will have a wide range of |
| they are employed by just about every government | | | | opportunities. |
| agency. | | | | In 2006, the middle 50th percentile of statisticians |
| Most professionals will work 40 hours a week, and | | | | made between $49,000 an $87,850, with |
| they may have to travel in order to conduct | | | | government workers making an average salary of |
| research and to take surveys. These workers will | | | | $85,690 in 2007. |
| often have a degree in statistics or math at the | | | | |