U.S. Census Bureau Director Tells Eastern High Students They can Count on a Career in Statistics
November 10, 2010
 Here’s a stat you may not have known: October 20, 2010 was the first-ever World Statistics Day.
And to celebrate, Dr. Robert Groves, director of the U.S. Census Bureau, paid a visit to a statistics and probability class at Eastern High School to raise awareness of the importance of math education and encourage students to consider careers in statistics.
“Statistics is one of those fields that touches every field,” Groves said. “It is an important thing to devote your life to and it is fun.”
In a visit that included a lesson plan for the class of seniors, a question-and-answer session and an overview of careers involving statistics, Groves told students about job opportunities they might not have considered before.
“The hot professions will be those that can summarize data in ways we haven’t thought of,” he said. “Stats help you figure out how the world works. … If you can summarize data in certain ways, you have power, you have knowledge.”
In his visits to American colleges, Groves said statistics classrooms are packed – but not with Americans. He said it takes cultural awareness to put certain data in context, and that American students are uniquely positioned to do the job, but fewer Americans are pursuing statistics as a career.
He mentioned opportunities at the Census Bureau but also noted career possibilities with health and finance, professional sports leagues and corporations.
“If every one of these kids ended up getting an undergraduate degree in statistics, we’d hire them immediately,” Groves said. “It’s a sure bet that the skills these students are picking up now can lead to great career opportunities.”
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