A Career in Statistics: Beyond the Numbers [Paperback]

First let me say that I have a positive bias toward this book. Gerry Hahn is a good friend of mine and in my opinion a very good author. He invited me, among others, to review a draft version of the book. I made many suggestions and provided some quotes that were used in the book and I got a very nice acknowledgement in the preface. So that is worth keeping in mind when you read the review. Those of you that know me and my reviews probably realize that I take the reviewing process very seriously and mainly review books that I like and think I can help prospective readers decide if the book is right for them. Some books are more suited for technical audiences, others for the general public and others cater to a special group.

"Careers in Statistics: Beyond the Numbers" is geared toward undergraduate or graduate students considering a career in statistics. It is also useful to those think of a career change. As you can see from the back cover Gerry worked for GE for practically his entire career (an amazing 46 years) and he managed the statistical research group there for 28 years. At one time I was considering taken a position working for him at GE. He is now retired but is providing a great service to other statisticians by writing books about his experience as a statistician. Necip Doganaksoy is a colleague of Gerry's who worked for Gerry at GE for many years and continues to work there for Roger Hoerl since Gerry's retirement. Hahn and Doganaksoy also recently published a book together titled "The Role of Statistics in Business and Industry." Gerry and Necip definitely have the knowledge and experience to write an authoritative book about what it is like to be a statistician in industry.

This book covers what a statistician in business and industry does on a daily basis including what skills are required and what degrees might be needed. That is covered in the first section "The Work of a Statistician." The section also describes the differences between careers in health, national defense, academia and the social and behavioral sciences.

The second section "Preparing for a Successful Career in Statistics" covers the attributes that comprise a successful statistician and what courses and degrees to obtain for a career in statistics.

The third section discusses what it takes to move from an initial position to a successful career in the field making the book also attractive to current statisticians. The fourth section provides additional perspectives on the differences between careers in academia and industry and how to continue to develop as a statistician.

There is great practical advice and insight in the book coming mainly from Gerry and Necip but also from the five other statisticians that they invited to contribute to the writing of the book. These statisticians also provide great insight from a variety of perspectives. They are Carol Blumberg, Leonard Gaines,Lynne Hare, Bill Meeker and Josef Schmee. As can be seen from the acknowledgement there were many others besides me that contributed to the review of the book and several who provided quotes that were used in the book.

I often get asked by young prospective statisticians what it is like to have a career as a statistician. They have many questions and I try to give good answers. This book however is unique as a text that provides such guidance and from now on whenever someone asks me about a career in statistics I will point them to this book which I think addresses their questions and concerns much better than I could with just my personal account.

'A Career in Statistics' offers sound advice to any aspiring or progressing statistician. You'll find comprehensive notes on just about everything from curriculum to professionally presenting. The content is thorough and helpful, but constantly presented as list upon list upon list. The bombardment of bullet points throughout this book made it more difficult to get through than it should have been considering the concise writing and tangible substance.

If I had read a similar book about mechanical engineering years ago, I'd likely either be working as a mechanical engineer or have a B.S. in something else. It's easy to recommend this book to anyone currently pursuing education in statistics or interested in majoring in statistics. If you are already in the field, keep in mind that this is not a practitioner's resource.

I have once considered a career in statistics few decades back and I didn't have a very informative source of different possibilities in the field of statistics. This book is a great resource for such questions.

The book is a result of a good amount of hard work and professional experience in the field of statistics. The authors structured the topic into four different parts, namely -
* What does a statistician do?
* How to prepare a career in statistics?
* What are the key qualities of a good statistician?
* What are the career options for a statistician in academia?

There are fourteen chapters that go around the above mentioned topics but the best way, in my opinion, to read this book is to select a question in mind and look through the contents and directly go to the relevant sections for an answer. I also liked the simple and practical advices on how to prepare a career in statistics and what people should expect out of a job in given industry. This book is a good quick reference for someone who wants to check the available career options in the field of statistics and one, who is ready to dive deep to find the answer.