The Joy of Statistics

According to a recent report released by CareerCast, described as a "career guidance website," the work of a statistician is the third best job to which one might aspire. We can hear small children everywhere saying, "When I grow up I want to be a statistician!"

But not as many as will want to be tenured university professors, the job ranked #2, or the top-of-the-line calling--mathematician!

These evaluations were based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (right, statisticians), the Census Bureau, trade association studies, and other bodies monitoring salaries, physical demands, stress levels and other factors which determine the desirability of a job.

So if the roles of mathematicians, university professors (tenured) and statisticians are the best jobs (followed, in this order, by actuaries, audiologists, dental hygienists, software engineers, computer systems analysts, occupational therapists and speech pathologists) what are the worst jobs? Number two on the "take this job and shove it" list is said to be newspaper reporting. Number five is broadcasting. Now we find out, after a lifetime in radio and newspapers, when we could have been, if not tenured university professors, at least actuaries. (Actuary, we don't even know what actuaries do.)

Other jobs deemed undesirable are serving in the military, driving a taxi, collecting garbage, working as a flight attendant, being a chef, fighting fires, and acting as a collections officer. The very worst job of all: lumberjack.

What the compilers of these arbitrary rankings seem to have overlooked, while checking salaries, stress factors, et cetera, are the pleasure and interest one may find in following a particular line of work. Really, how many disc jockeys or sports writers reading this are going to chuck their jobs and become dental hygienists? (Not, as Seinfeld would have said, there's anything wrong with that.)

As for lumberjacks, you have only to remember the Monty Python gang's stirring rendition of "I'm a Lumberjack and I'm Okay." No one is singing "I'm an Actuary and I'm Okay."