Statistics has an image problem. To the general public, it’s old, out of touch, and boring. It’s a problem because we place stock in a younger generation who we (1) want to be more data literate and (2) eventually lead the way, or at least participate, in all data-related realms. It’s beneficial for everyone.
This is Statistics is a new push by the American Statistical Association to provide a new perspective that doesn’t dwell on sheets of equations.
From the about:
We want students and parents to have a better understanding of a field that is often unknown or misunderstood. Statistics is not just a collection of numbers or formulas. It’s not just lines, bars or points on a graph. It’s not just computing. Statistics is so much more. It’s an exciting—even fun—way of looking at the world and gaining insights through a scientific approach that rewards creative thinking.
In brief: Statistics is not lame.
If you’re reading this, you already know the benefits of learning statistics, but for those who question, at least you have somewhere to send them.
When I told my parents that I wanted to go to graduate school for statistics, they were concerned. They never pushed me in any direction career-wise, just as long as I tried my best and enjoyed what I did. But, this was the one time they sat me down for a talk.
Was I sure about this statistics thing? What do people do after? Was I pursuing statistics for the right reasons? It’s so much easier to answer those questions now than it was ten years ago. I mean, careers in data are in the news all the time now. I’m glad the ASA is working on making the statistics portion of the data push more obvious.
