This is a nice compilation of issues that you should be concerned. The examples are mostly from things that interest Google, but you will find this advice itself is useful no matter what type of data you work with. The advice is split into three broad categories: technical (e.g., look at your distributions), process (e.g., separate validation, description, and evaluation), and communication (e.g., data analysis starts with questions, not data or a technique). Continue reading
Tag Archives: Human side of statistics
PMean: Independent consulting and the cold call
There’s been some more discussion about getting started as an independent statistical consultant. One person is ready to hang their shingle and proposes to “find a niche I can serve, contact companies in that niche, etc.” but didn’t know what that niche might be. I had one cautionary comment and then discussed finding your niche. Continue reading
PMean: What do you hate most about independent consulting
Someone on the Statistical Consulting forum mentioned that she is going to become an independent consultant when she graduates and wanted to find out from people who are currently in that position what the one thing is that they hate most. This email drew a lot of responses including several people who cautioned this women about the difficulties for a young person to become an independent consultant. Here are the thoughts I shared on the thing I hate most and what the issues are with embarking out on your own as an independent consulting early in your career. Continue reading
PMean: Never consult by email if you can help it
Consulting is always a back and forth process and often you will find yourself re-working things because of communication problems. That’s okay, but keep in mind that communication problems are even worse when they are done solely through email. Sometimes you have to consult this way, but it greatly increases the amount of rework needed. Here’s an example. Continue reading
Recommended: Ten Simple Rules for Effective Statistical Practice
This article has good general advice about how to run a statistical analysis, such as Rule 1: Statistical Methods Should Enable Data to Answer Scientific Questions.
PMean: My current work at the Greater Plains Collaborative
I’m spending a fair amount of time over the next few months working with Russ Waitman and the Greater Plains Collaborative (GPC). It’s an interesting job so far, and one of the things that I find quite appealing about the job is the openness that permeates all of their work. Continue reading
PMean: Business essentials that you need to know before starting your career as an independent statistical consultant
I am giving a presentation on the business essentials that you need to know before you start a career in independent statistical consulting. Here is a summary of what I’ll be talking about. Continue reading
Recommended: Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center job opening for a GS-14 Statistician
I get a lot of emails mentioning job openings and I normally delete them unread. This one caught my eye, not because I wanted to apply for it, but because it illustrates how statisticians get to work on very interesting jobs. This is a Senior Statistician job at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston. If you got this job, you’d be providing assistance on “a wide range of biomedical and technical areas in support of space exploration.” How cool is that!
The other interesting thing is that they say that “accreditation by the American Statistical Association is highly desired.” I’m not accredited by the ASA and don’t plan on it anytime soon, but if you want to be the Buck Rogers of Statistics, maybe you should. Continue reading
PMean: What problems does introversion cause for a statistical consultant?
Someone posed an interesting question on the Statistics Consulting message board of the American Statistical Association. To paraphrase, her question was what sort of difficulties would an introvert have in statistical consulting and how do you teach those introverted consultants to overcome those problems. Here’s what I wrote. Continue reading
Recommended: This is Statistics promotional toolkit
The American Statistical Association is promoting careers in statistics though a new campaign titled “This is Statistics”. They just added some very nice promotional material: one and two page handouts, a PowerPoint presentation (a bit too glitzy, but still very informative), and a set of talking points. The materials emphasize the broad range of areas that statisticians work in, the very strong pay and high demand for statisticians, and the diversity of people who go into Statistics. Continue reading