Statistics Education

[elanmorin]

I have a bit of a challenge as to my future educational needs and want to see what some professionals in the field think.

I am early in my career, have about five years experience in the field in market research. I have a bachelors degree in a social science and am about to complete a masters degree in a social science, which I've completed while working full time. I've completed math through calc III, a graduate sequence in research methods, and an intro statistics class as an undergraduate, but the vast majority of my statistical knowledge has come from my professional work.

The impression that I've gotten is that most people in the top of the field (directors & vp's of research) seem to have either a masters degree in statistics or a phd in either statistics or a field like economics, political science, sociology, etc with a heavy statistics emphasis. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to need further graduate education in order to get there.

That gives me a few options: 1) pursue a second masters degree in statistics, 2) pursue a doctorate in a social science (which I would probably be able to transfer some of my masters coursework toward) or 3) just focus on learning whatever statistics I need to on my own without getting any additional formal degrees.

I'm hesitant about option 1) because I would need to do some additional undergraduate math coursework (real analysis etc.) in order to even start a graduate stats program. I'm hesitant about option 2) because I know a lot of people who start PhDs don't finish and I don't know if it's worth the enormous commitment / opportunity cost. However, I'm worried that if I decide on option 3) and don't do any additional formal coursework, then it will limit my long-term career growth, no matter how much real-world experience I get. Even the pStat certification from the American Statistical Association - which one would think could serve as evidence of statistical competence without the degree - requires a statistics MS.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[trinker]

Let me ask a question of you I haven't figured out myself yet:

"What do you want to be when you grow up? Where is it you see yourself in 8.28 years from now?"

[Janus]

I did option 1 while doing option 2, but quit the Ph.D. program (I actually earned the poli sci MA and stats MS and then quit). I am also in market research now. Do you want to be an academic? Your Ph.D. in the social sciences probably won't yield a return even in academia, and it is probably pointless if you want to stay in the private sector. Worse, you'll lose five years of your life (while you could be working your way up the corporate ladder). And it will take a minimum of five years, even with the credit you believe will transfer. Most of my fellow grad students had an MA in poli sci when they entered and no one earned their doctorate in less than five years. And since only about 50% of incoming Ph.D. students actually complete their degree, what do you do if you decide to drop out? You already have an MA in the social sciences, so you walk away with nothing new. There is a huge Ph.D. bubble right now, especially in the social sciences. There are no academic jobs, only post-docs, so you're likely to end up back in the private sector and I think experience is preferable to a degree that costs five years of your life (or more, depending on whether you are funded). To anyone who asks, I would say don't go for a doctorate, unless the passion for your discipline burns in you like nothing else.

If anything, do a Master's in Stats. Even that is a gamble. Will you have to quit your job? Will you be able to find a job when you finish. With five years experience and an MS in stats, your opportunities now are pretty good. In two years? Who knows. Plus, few stats MS's are funded, so you're paying out of pocket. If anything, do the Master's on the side. See if your company will provide partial funding.

Good luck.