r/AskStatistics • u/Aerondight26 • 3d ago

Worth getting a degree?

I am not a math person but I am eager to learn new things and find a subject to get good at. Statistics is a recommended main subject in a bachelor when I ask the study counselors since everyone is picking either political science or econ. According to the statistical institution at my uni, the job market is really really good for master students but it isn't bad for bachelors either.

So my question is, is it worth going in to statistics? It seems like a cool choice and history and statistics would be an interesting combination. Especially maybe in public administration and even private options. I can rather easily get a degree in history too (I've studied teacher so far but want to change)

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u/just_writing_things PhD 3d ago

> not a math person

Statistics is a branch of math, so given that you describe yourself in that way, you need to think carefully about whether you’d like to get a degree essentially in a type of mathematics and spend years taking math courses.

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u/Aerondight26 3d ago

I could be a statistics person
I have never given math a shot so why not. Also this is related to something and not just always pure numbers.

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u/Uravity- 2d ago

If you're wanting to do statistics without the math then you're not looking for a statistics degree but a degree that uses statistics like psychology, sociology, business, epidemiology, biology, etc... They all require to take statistic courses without having to take heavy amount of math courses.

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u/Aerondight26 2d ago

Yea I suppose I should go Econ or business admin but statistics seems safer and not as screwed by ai . I don’t want to study for 3 more years to be jobless. Fine I guess I’ll get good at statistics math then if that is what people recommend

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u/dataprocessingclub 2d ago

Also this is related to something and not just always pure numbers.

Nope. If you're studying statistics themselves, it's pure numbers (or even worse, letters! 😱). At some point you will have to work with real data, of course, but a lot of the coursework is somewhat abstract, and you will have to take 'pure math' courses like linear algebra and calculus too.

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u/Aerondight26 2d ago

Oh, well I will try the first course before deciding on committing to it, but I like to think I am decent at maths, I just never gave it the time nor saw the use for it. With new direction that could change. And it would be so cool to learn letters in math ngl but idk if I have the discipline

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u/vengefultruffle 2d ago

What exactly do you mean by “not a math person”? Do you mean you just don’t have much of a prior math education or that you’ve struggled a lot with math in the past? I personally believe that almost anyone can learn any subject given enough time, resources, and dedication, but definitely be aware that statistics is a very math-heavy degree and it may require a lot of extra effort if math isn’t something that comes easily to you.

You could also consider data science which is kind of a sister-field to statistics but more focused on computer science rather than mathematics.

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u/Aerondight26 2d ago

But I could be a statistics person. Never have I given math a shot and maybe this time when I can direct time and energy into it - something good will happen. To be honest this might just be my saviour. Accounting and business administration seems so fragile for AI, Econ same, state knowledge and public policy can be interesting but doesn’t pay well. It feels like all doors are closing and statistics seems like one of the few that are open. I mean I can handle math but maybe not the engineering type so this may be where I settle

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u/vengefultruffle 2d ago

To get a statistics degree you would have to do a fair amount of “engineering type” math, at least linear algebra and up to calculus III. I fully believe that you are capable of doing it if that’s what you want but you should be aware of what you’re getting yourself into.

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u/Aerondight26 2d ago

Likely it will be tough but idk what else to pick
Econ would be better but idk if the field will be there within 3 years for entry level jobs

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u/vengefultruffle 2d ago

Maybe you could consider risk management? My understanding is that insurance is doing very well as a field right now. The two main career paths with a statistics degree are actuarial science and data analysis, and a statistics degree isn’t at all necessary to do actuarial science (although it is a good look). I don’t think that a b.s. in actuarial science is really a thing but your university may offer a certificate program that you could do alongside another degree. I’d also highly recommend trying to talk to someone at your university’s career center if they have one to ask about what your job prospects would be with different degrees.

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u/Untjosh1 2d ago

Why are you arguing with everyone? What’s the point here? You’re not a math person. You’ll likely bomb this hard. I’m a secondary math teacher and I struggle some with PHD level social science quant classes. You’ll be cooked

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u/stron2am 2d ago

Don't listen to the naysayers here. This particular sub loves to chase folks off the discipline.