Anonymous
Post 07/31/2015 17:58     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:Graduation is approaching next spring for my husband and with it, the desire/need to find a job. He is a PhD student (bachelor’s and master’s in stats too). His only job experience had been as a teaching assistant in master's and PhD . He came here as an international student and now has a green card . Is there a problem finding jobs at the PhD level? Because he doesn't have much work experience, I suspect that recruiters are not likely to pay as much attention him? Or perhaps the PhD level research could qualify as work experience.

I desperately want to move back to DC. Any suggestions on how to network with others in the statistics community in DC?


education, data analyst, non profits.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2015 17:48     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:I'm confused-if you are married, can't he become a citizen?


He has a green card through marriage. We have to wait 2.5 years until we can apply for a US citizenship.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2015 16:55     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
I'm confused-if you are married, can't he become a citizen?
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2015 12:09     Subject: Re:job market in DC for a PhD in stats
I would think there are a lot of opportunities. I am in the field of health policy, and there are tons of "think tank" like places in DC as well as associations, nonprofits and corporations who want data. I currently work for a for profit company that has a research arm that pumps out white papers, infographics, issue briefs etc. and having someone who can crunch numbers and present data is hugely helpful.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2015 09:51     Subject: Re:job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Fannie/Freddie employ a lot of people with stats background. You don't need to be a a US citizen.

Also, a few people mentioned SAS. It appears to be a very marketable skill. If your DH doesn't already know it, I would highly recommend learning it.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 22:47     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:Best friend is a data scientist with a masters. She's had LOTS of job offers in the 200k range. Nearly every company needs stats.


May I ask where she's getting these offers? I have a masters in statistics, and I program, and I may be looking for a job at some point.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 20:14     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
He should have his pick of jobs. If he's interested in anything tangentially related to finance, he could easily work at the Fed or with Capital One. CapOne has their "innovation laboratory" located in the Ballston area, it's all Big Data analysis and creating new products. My buddy got a great offer there, however he turned it down to remain in NYC.

But yeah, he should be golden.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 16:13     Subject: Re:job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How good is he at programming?


He says yes. I'm a nurse so can't really vouch for him. He's all about studying. He puts in 12-hour days – nine hours before dinner plus three after we eat. I do believe all this studying is damaging to his creativity. I think he's narrow minded and has poor social skills. I hope this doesn't limit him in the job search. This is mostly what I'm worried about. He always has poor writing skills. English is not his native language.


I think your intuition is right. Real life is not like academia. You have to get out there, practice selling yourself, and get to know the right people! It's not like someone will hand you a job based on how hard you studied. The poor writing skills / English are not ideal, but social skills are really really important. It's a change in mindset.

(I'm saying this as nicely as possible as someone who came from academia.)
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 16:09     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Best friend is a data scientist with a masters. She's had LOTS of job offers in the 200k range. Nearly every company needs stats.


+1 data science is way hotter than stats right now


What is the difference?


Practically, very little. It's more about how you market yourself. Data science is all about being applied vs. theory, finding insights, presenting insights. Day-to-day you do more programming, finding the right datasets, and more presentations. It's a lot less academic, where you are expected to make recommendations regardless of how bad the data is - your job is to make do within the data and time constraints you're given.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 15:59     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Best friend is a data scientist with a masters. She's had LOTS of job offers in the 200k range. Nearly every company needs stats.


+1 data science is way hotter than stats right now


What is the difference?
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 15:52     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:look into the AAAS Sci&Tech Policy Fellowship. with "big data" skills, he'd get snatched up (the program places you in a fed agency temporarily, and you have 1-2 years to find a permanent job).


Ok for a green card holder?


Hmm. Missed that part. Maybe not. Might be citizens only.


yes, must be a US citizen and statistics PhD holders do not qualify.


they accept veterinarians and have a new and very-popular-with-employers Big Data track. A stats PhD might as well give it a shot.

--former fellow, current employer of fellows



To be considered you must hold U.S. citizenship.
and
Hold a doctoral level degree (PhD, ScD, MD, DVM, EdD, etc.*), in any of the following:
Medical and Health sciences
Biological, Physical or Earth sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Computational sciences and Mathematics
Engineering disciplines (applicants with a MS in engineering and three years of professional experience also qualify).




And there it is! Statistics is a subfield of mathematics.

He doesn't sound like a good fit for the program anyway.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 15:47     Subject: Re:job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:How good is he at programming?


He says yes. I'm a nurse so can't really vouch for him. He's all about studying. He puts in 12-hour days – nine hours before dinner plus three after we eat. I do believe all this studying is damaging to his creativity. I think he's narrow minded and has poor social skills. I hope this doesn't limit him in the job search. This is mostly what I'm worried about. He always has poor writing skills. English is not his native language.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 15:42     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Anonymous wrote:Best friend is a data scientist with a masters. She's had LOTS of job offers in the 200k range. Nearly every company needs stats.


+1 data science is way hotter than stats right now
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 15:33     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
There are lots of jobs for people with good stats skills in DC. I get contacted about jobs all the time.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2015 15:33     Subject: job market in DC for a PhD in stats
Best friend is a data scientist with a masters. She's had LOTS of job offers in the 200k range. Nearly every company needs stats.