Finished uni degree (Statistics) - where to go from here?

H3 on 16/06/2018 - 22:21

Hi all. I just finished my Bachelors majoring in statistics. I don't really have any real work experience under my belt but would like to find a job as soon as possible. I've looked around on seek and indeed and apart from there being hardly any jobs for statistics graduates, almost all of them require some prior experience (minimum 2 years from what I've seen). Also I don't really have any connections from family or friends that could possibly lead me into the right direction. I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm thinking about doing a graduate degree in computer science to get further qualified but I have pretty good programming skills already and desperately need some sort of work experience. Any advice from those who were in a similar situation would be very helpful.

Cheers

Education & Work

Comments

  • dcep on 16/06/2018 - 22:22
    +5

    spam your resume for cadet position regardless of the min. exp. req.

  • MrHyde on 16/06/2018 - 22:25
    +9

    Doing a further graduate degree will not help at all. That still does not get you work experience.

    Apply for grad positions… Look through your campus job placement centre for positions. With a stats background, look at data scientist positions as well.

    • activ8newbs on 16/06/2018 - 23:20

      +1 ^

    • thatonethere on 17/06/2018 - 07:49
      +1

      Cyber security ops centre jobs can use the stats degree. Entry level. Often they need 24x7 roles and will train

      • AlienC on 17/06/2018 - 18:47

        Can explain specifically what kind of job they would be doing in that role or area.. I am still trying to figure out if analytics and stats degree is just a buzz word for plain coder to make it create anything and nothing at all to do with analytics.

        • thatonethere on 18/06/2018 - 15:11

          They usually have a bunch of people monitoring stuff and looking for patterns. There is usually a few roles who do longer term analytics which is where a statistics degree could work.

          There are also roles for security minded people to do coding for data manipulation.

          The challenge for the cyber sec managers is to get people in to do the graveyard/weekend shifts.

  • oscargamer on 16/06/2018 - 22:41
    +8

    Statistically, in what field are you most likely to get a job?

    • H3 on 17/06/2018 - 03:40
      +4

      retail

      • matt3 on 17/06/2018 - 16:37

        Consider the health sector: Clinical coder or Health Information Manager. Good luck.

  • Kiminoth on 16/06/2018 - 22:48

    I'm graduating this semester too, in my Master's in IT.

    Just over two years ago I left my job in OH&S, after completing a two-year graduate program with a mining organisation, to pursue a career in IT.

    While you've missed the boat on a lot, there still are a lot of open - or will be open - graduate programs.

    Apply to them all.

    I think all up in the past few months I applied for around 25. It's time-consuming, but if you don't try for them, you don't get them. Thus far I've gotten an offer from two.

    Some would like work experience, but I don't think I've ever seen one that requires it. In fact, there have been some graduate programs that their only work-related condition is that you can't have worked for more than two years. But even so, it doesn't hurt to apply.

    If you're thinking of doing a computer science degree, you may as well make it a post-grad. It's only two-years and will come out looking much better. If you can snag a casual role in IT before it, you can claim it all back on tax too as it's work-related study. While my undergraduate degree was completely unrelated to IT, I did my Master's full-time while working full-time, as I started an entry-level IT role just before I began studying and I wanted to complete it as soon as possible. So I've come out of the degree with two years experience and a post-grad.

    You almost sound like you'd be a good fit for a Data Analytics (BI/Data Mining) role.

    • AlienC on 17/06/2018 - 02:26

      Honestly what does a data analytics (BI/Data Mining) role require?

      It sounds like someone who manipulates or analyses data on excel or via programming all day which is like a five minute job unless I am missing something here.

      It sounds like just a job about making charts and graphs and spreadsheets which honestly doesn't sound all that hard.

      What would an example of programming in this field be or look like or how far does your roles and scope go.

      • Gandalf the Thrifty on 17/06/2018 - 07:37
        +5

        There are many parts to BI or Data Scientist. You seem to focus on the low end charting side which most people can do in excel with small datasets and isn't BI.
        Even at a low level report developer turning info from database into a SSRS/Crystal report requires lot more than excel skills.

        BI typically use products like SSIS and SSAS and loads of SQL to build large data warehouse/cubes but with moving to cloud a lot of this is merging more towards Data Scientists.
        They typically use R and Python and design data mining algorithms using stats which also crosses into AI/ predictive analysis.

      • ihbh on 17/06/2018 - 09:53
        +1

        which is like a five minute job unless I am missing something here

        You're missing something here. It's not money work; There are a lot of PhD's in this field.

        • AlienC on 17/06/2018 - 18:50

          So what would be one example and explain why Excel wouldn't be able to cover most if not all of their use cases.

          I just really want to know what is involved in data mining and business information stuff and analytics because I studied the degree or part of it and to me it looked like a standard computer science degree just maybe slightly less intense or dumbed down.

          The sql part and database part I must admit threw me off a bit and maybe if I relearnt or revisited it today almost ten years later I might be able to grasp it or realize why we need this special software or way of doing things and not just use the bare basic software applications like Excel and stuff.

          Like I said before I still am not sure what would be even involved in these actions specifically.

          I feel like simple understanding of this is blocking me from progressing forward which kinda sucks tbh :(

    • H3 on 17/06/2018 - 03:29

      Wow I never knew that tax implication. But now that I've had time to think, I'd rather get a steady income first before even thinking about studying again. While I think I'm decent at programming, I'm not sure I have the full skills required for data mining that employers are looking for.

      • altomic on 17/06/2018 - 10:02

        the tax implications can be decent for studying a relevant course whilst working. I finished my post grad course in 2016. that study was considered relevant to my job by my employer. nice deductions for fees also minor deductions for travel, to.from uni from work,

        • MrHyde on 17/06/2018 - 10:32

          Exactly. The key thing to note is that the course has to be relevant to your current work. If it not relevant, in that it for a different field or to help you get another job elsewhere, the expenses are not tax deductible.

        • Quantumcat on 17/06/2018 - 22:59

          Could you make a forum post about this? I've just finished my bachelor of computer science and considering doing a masters in computing while working. Would love to know how to get the best value out of it/do it for cheapest possible.

      • Kiminoth on 17/06/2018 - 16:21

        Yeah, that's fair enough.

        It all depends on your current commitments and responsibilities too.

        Honestly, you've earned the degree now though. Apply to all the graduate programs/internships you can.

        As Gandalf mentioned above, Data mining utilises R and python. So if that's something that interests you, delve a bit further into that.

        And yes, the tax implications are huge. If you're studying is work-related, you can claim a significant amount back.

        Also, you sound a bit unsure about your capabilities. While yes, as a graduate you're still quite 'inexperienced', and you might feel that way. But over the course of the application for a role and interview, they will assess your skills and knowledge regardless and base their decision accordingly. So really, there isn't much harm in applying. Just show your eagerness and willingness to learn and that will go far. Anyone who reads your CV will understand that you're fresh out of University, they won't expect a twenty-year veteran when you arrive.

        Perhaps book an interview with a career counsellor at your university. I did prior to beginning my degree/role, and I believe it made a fair bit of difference, even if the worst-case outcome is only a slightly better CV. Ensure that your resumé is highlighting skills for your role you're applying for too. In my last role in OH&S, just about every responsibility or learning outlined was tailored for, or compatible for a role in IT.

    • vinni9284 on 17/06/2018 - 09:43

      Thus far I've gotten an offer from two.

      Is that an offer for employment or for an interview?

      Cheers

      • Kiminoth on 17/06/2018 - 15:56

        Employment.

        I've been offered to be interviewed in four final interviews so far.

        • vinni9284 on 17/06/2018 - 21:16

          Well that is not an employment offer.. yet!
          However wishing you the best of luck!
          Cheers

        • Kiminoth on 17/06/2018 - 22:54

          @vinni9284:

          Haha, apologies, two offers of employment, from 3 final interviews (with one to go i.e. four total final interviews).

          Thanks for the well wishes! :)

  • bobbified on 16/06/2018 - 22:48
    +2

    I just finished my Bachelors majoring in statistics

    Ask yourself these questions:

    "Is there anything that sets me apart from the hundreds of other people who have also graduated?" and "why should an employer hire me over everyone else?".

    You may not have an answer straightaway, but think about it. It could be your social skills, it could be your ability to speak two languanges or it could be anything else such as any extra-curricular activities you've done previously.

    Personally, I wouldn't start further studies until I had some experience under my belt.

    • H3 on 17/06/2018 - 03:36

      I have asked myself these questions and now have to ask this: what happens to those who apply and don't get jobs because there's always someone better in one way or another? do they settle for a job they don't actually want? do they go back to study?

      • Mummy2 on 17/06/2018 - 09:30
        +1

        Although it was 20 years ago, that was me.

        I was always 3rd choice for graduate jobs for companies that were only taking 2 folk on.

        I ended up with a job I didn't really want but with a company big enough that I knew they had a position I would like and then in my first year tried everything possible to move to one of those positions I was after and I got a secondment into a position I wanted.

  • [Deactivated] on 16/06/2018 - 23:49

    Get a job?

  • Savas on 17/06/2018 - 00:55
    +4

    macca's

    • Clear on 17/06/2018 - 09:08
      +1

      Which is a good idea! Resumes with Maccas and private schools generally get looked at first.

  • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 17/06/2018 - 01:22

    I'd suggest travelling and listening to people. It's worth a hundred degrees.

  • Melb69 on 17/06/2018 - 06:41
    +2

    When I graduated after 5years in with a BA Arch. The recession hit. I couldn't find a full time job for 9mths. I applied for everything.

    I got a lead from my then girlfriends father for a drafting job. Was there a month. Still applying for jobs. Then got an interview for an architect for 10yrs exp. The director was impresssed with my brashness in applying. Anyway he offered me the job. Was given a small project out in Port Ferry. Luck and persistence. They did pharmacuatical plants. Not an area of arch I thought about, but good experience. Best time of my career as there were alot of staff that offered guidance and learnt alot.

    20 years on I have been working in various offices ever since. Ups and downs. Just got retrenched as office ran out of work or couldn't afford to keep me, more likely. Got a new job in a week which will be a new challenge and experience.

    So highly recommend pushing for a job in the field you studied in or similar to get experience. Apply for those grad jobs as others have said. Forget study unless you cant get anything after 12mths say.

    Maybe speak to uni careers officer for ideas.

    Make your resume and covering letter the best it can be presented and professional. Also ring up companies, get contact names of hirers.

    In that 9mths I followed up with calls to ads that I submitted. Tried door knocking with some resumes. Be proavtive and do something. Sitting at home pushing out resumes on seek is one way.

    Something will come or you should just find any job.

    While I was working upstairs in the new job.One of my uni colleagues was working in the frame shop below parttime. She was also doing a course in photography. So maybe you could build up a hobby or other skill. Don't know whether she got a job in arch, but she was still applying.

    Chin up. Its nothing like the recession for jobs. There out there.

  • Sage on 17/06/2018 - 07:44
    +3

    Congratulations, you'll never use the degree.

  • Frostay on 17/06/2018 - 09:02
    +2

    Consider the public service sector. I regularly see jobs that are aimed at stats majors, and some of which you could use as an entry position.

    • altomic on 17/06/2018 - 10:04
      +2

      look at jobs in Canberra

  • Islund on 17/06/2018 - 09:23
    +1

    Analytics role with one of the Pharma companies? Bombard all the Pharmas with your CV

  • ShannonN on 17/06/2018 - 10:51

    Congrats of obtaining the qualification.

    Don't know enough about the field to offer anything of real value, however with some real programming skills have you ever thought of designing a mobile app that in some way can gather info and make some statistical output and graphing?

    I guess that's what I see as statistical analysis. I know it's not the upper level scientific brain snapping stuff you probably are capable of but it may give you a chance to learn programming skills in app development and provide some short term income

    Hope it all comes together for you

    • H3 on 17/06/2018 - 18:34

      Thanks. But I hear that designing apps is kind of a dead end if you don't have the proper marketing to get it out there.

  • daalinz on 17/06/2018 - 11:30
    +1

    I work in IT as a computer programmer.

    I mostly have seen business Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) getting the business intelligence/analytics roles at organisations. I suppose you have to know the processes before you can make sense of the data.

    It may be worth starting at the bottom as a helpdesk/support kind of job if you are having no luck with grad programs.

    Like others have said, I'm sure those with experience or post grad quals will go into those junior/mid level stats jobs.

    Also look at going to conferences/meetups relevant to you to do work networking. I'd be looking at Big Data/BI/Analytics vendor kind of conferences.

    You could also volunteer if no one is willing to pay you as an employee.

  • original15 on 17/06/2018 - 12:21

    Any interest in getting into HR/People analytics/reporting?

    • H3 on 17/06/2018 - 18:30

      I've never heard of it. What does it involve?

      • original15 on 18/06/2018 - 08:53

        Basically using organisation/people data to drive business decisions or answer questions.
        What percentage of employers engagement is directly attributed to someone’s manager? what impact would it have on the business to increase paid parental leave from 6 to 12months (both in terms of cost, greater retention etc)? does our employee volunteering program have any correlation with employee engagement?
        What data points collected in our recruitment process link with individual performance? If this is our leadership framework, what factors are key differentiators between good and bad leaders

  • Love a bargain on 17/06/2018 - 14:22

    Find some casual work (even if they're unrelated to your field of study or what you wanna do) while you're looking. Even unrelated work experience can show potential employers that you can work with others, take instructions, communicate, etc.

  • ascorbic on 17/06/2018 - 15:56

    I'm thinking about doing a graduate degree in computer science to get further qualified but I have pretty good programming skills already

    Programming != Computer Science

    Programming is like knowing how to write; picking up the syntax of a new language and knowing how to translate a given algorithm to code is relatively easy, especially if you're already familiar with another language of the same paradigm.

    Computer Science is like knowing what to write, thinking about different algorithms in terms of aspects such as time complexity, completeness, optimality and security. It also extends to things like using design principles/patterns to make more understandable, maintainable and robust software (this would be covered even more in Software Engineering). In Computer Science, you'll learn a lot more than how to program. In fact, a big part of a Computer Science degree is theoretical.

    A Computer Science degree could be overkill if you just want to extend your programming proficiency but it's worth considering if you want to move into AI for example.

  • HighAndDry on 18/06/2018 - 12:50

    As long as it's an entry level position recruiting for graduates, just ignore the work experience component and apply regardless.

  • Oz8argain on 18/06/2018 - 14:42

    Did you attend work expos during uni? what did you learn from those companies and does their offer suit your degree?
    keep applying for anything. while doing that, consider further education, that could open up more opportunities. attend more career related events at uni, network with more people. A masters degree could come in handy in the future.

  • Icecold5000 on 19/06/2018 - 22:51

    You could try something like this

    https://www.seek.com.au/job/36385420?type=standard

    Most people who take on these roles have property econ degrees or more rarely straight econ so it's not rocket science by any means. It's a shitkicker role probably topping out at 50k plus super. Their research reports are on the website to give you a taste. Probably OK for 18 months but it's hard to move up since these are cruisey jobs but if you decide to make it your career these firms are international. They have one of the bigger research depts and it's well respected within the industry.

  • BrewerHaHa on 29/06/2018 - 16:14

    Had to log in to comment
    I also did stats (also a major in maths) and graduated a couple years ago. I just applied for everything I could. Everyday I would spend my time writing cover letters and sending them off with my resume. I would suggest just applying for all that you can, even if you don't exactly meet the requirements that they're looking for. If you can fulfil only a couple of them, then give it a shot.
    If you're ever worried you'll be rejected don't be because if you're rejected, you've never seen them and they've never seen you. If you get an interview, you have an opportunity!
    When I was looking, I would always search for "Junior data analyst" or "junior statistics" or something along those lines. Junior positions almost never require you to have any previous experience.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join