Statistician
What the work is
Applies statistical principles to design experiments, surveys and other quantitative studies. Uses statistical techniques to collect, organise, analyse and interpret data. Uses and develops statistical methods to solve problems in all areas of the sciences, engineering, health, technology, social sciences, business, government, industry and commerce.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Evaluates, processes, analyses and interprets data
- Produces relevant statistics to describe and infer trends and patterns
- Applies models to experimental observations, and adjusts and recasts the models
- Evaluates and describes the reliability and utility of source information
- Liaises with management and clients to determine the area to be surveyed or examined
- Plans and organises surveys and other statistical collections, and designs questionnaires
- Reports significant differences in relationships among sources of data
- Uses numerical analysis methods to develop algorithms and perform computations
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the analytics team of a fictional general insurance company. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A model you built predicts what actually happens, and the team trusts it more
- A tangled problem finally becomes a clear picture you can draw on a whiteboard
- You explain risk to a non specialist and see them understand it
Hard days
- Data that does not add up and a deadline that does not move
- A senior person asks for one certain number when the honest answer is a range
- Weeks of checking work that nobody will notice unless it goes wrong
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 223133, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.