Job Outlook for BSc in Statistics

[lahzor]

Basically what the title says, how is the job outlook for a BSc in statistics, is it worth pursuing a MS in it?

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

Neither I, nor anyone else can answer that question. There are shamans of industry who attempt to discern such things and for all I know they're reading tea leaves. Such prospects are highly dependent on the economy. Right now, I can't think of many first world countries where the economy is going well. So any answers you get are tinged in that light.

I get the sense that you really don't know what to do when you graduate. Are your interests intellectual or financial? If the former, go for the degree. If the latter, a degree of this sort can be a great start in many places, from insurance to industrial plant management.

You are not that unusual. Many pursue a degree with almost no notion of what they want to do once they have that degree. If you don't know, consider joining some service agency such as the Peace Corp, a charitable religious order, the military or some other such agency. Doing service for others can help you figure out what matters to you. Also note that because such service shows a certain industriousness, it won't hurt your prospects for a job later.

 

[lisab]

Are you interested in being an actuary?

 

[StatGuy2000]

To the OP,

How far are you in your studies? If you are already close to completing your BSc in statistics, then your job prospects are fairly good (particularly if you have good programming skills), but in all honesty your job prospects will greatly improve if you have at least as Msc in statistics, assuming the current demand for statisticians in the US and Canada by the time you graduate are similar to what it is today.

That's a critical assumption, since as JakeBrodskyPE has indicated in his post, economic conditions can change and thus so can demand for various different positions. From my own perspective as a Msc-level statistician who has been working in my field for over the past 10 years, I don't foresee demand for statisticians or similar "data scientists" declining in the foreseeable future, but who knows what could happen?

All that being said, I would definitely recommend you pursue a Msc in statistics. If you are interested in further research in this field, then even a PhD may be a good idea.

 

[harborsparrow]

Statistics is highly import these days in biology and in computer science (machine learning areas). If you wanted to branch out in one of those directions, a background in statistics might come in very handy.