Cajetan speaks: @Zebra, the bitter truth ias that economists and financial analysts are better statisticians. Visit any national statistical office including USA and our national bureau of statistics you will discover that the top players there are economists.

Cajetan speaks: @Zebra, the bitter truth ias that economists and financial analysts are better statisticians. Visit any national statistical office including USA and our national bureau of statistics you will discover that the top players there are economists.

Cajetan speaks: Since you said I don't know anything about statisticians' job. I will like you to enumerate these duties, lets dissect them individually. And mind you, the Statistician General of Nigeria and all his special advicers studied economics.

Cajetan speaks: FYI Dr. Yemi Kale studied economics upto PhD level. Rather, your colleagues that studied statistics are the ones taking up pgd and msc in business and economic related courses in order to upgrade themselves.

zebra: i can now see where u problem is coming from. U look at statistics from one angle only, that is from the biz and economic angle. Like i said before most statisticians work in the fields of physical sciences, chemical sciences, biological sciences, medicine, pharmacy, agric, sociology, and psychology. Very few are work in biz and finance where they develop mathematical models. FYI Statisticians are applied scientists that work in all fields where they help in conducting experiments, surveys, and researches; and in developinp models. Economists and fin analysts on the other hand can only carry out analyses on biz and economic data.

Cajetan speaks: You summarized the duties of a statistician viz: helps in conducting experiments, surveys,researches and developing mathematical models.. Note:economists,fin analysts and engrs., can comfortably perform all those duties you listed.we study O.R too.

Cajetan speaks: You are free to say anything you like.But how dare you think you do O.R (a.k.a management science)better than its owners?Its obvious you are just being sentimental and not realistic. FYI I have dozens of statisticians working under me. ..cheers..

Cajetan speaks: Lest i forget, let me bring to your notice that statistics is an integral part of economics, and that's why, we'll continue to crab all the available jobs in research and statistics especially in World Bank,UNDP e.t.c

zebra: i've said it before, ur problem is that u look at statistics from just one direction - economic and biz statistics. FYI most statisticians work in the areas of biostatistics, medical statistics, and industrial statistics. Why are u restricting statistics to economics and biz? Yes, statistics is an integral part of economics, that's to tell u how robust and important statistical methods are to an economist. Try and find out what statisticians do in the medical and pharmaceutical sciences, biological sciences, agric sciences, and industrial processes, and scientific Research & Development. Economists can contribute nothing to these areas i just mentioned. An economist can only be relevant when it comes to economic analysis, while statisticians can very well handle analyses on economic issues, as well as social, medical, agric, scientific, industrial quality control, etc. I read maths/stats, and my mathematical skills can only be compared with that of people that studied engineering and not with any discipline in the social sciences. I told u in one of my previous posts that i lecture economics students most of the maths and stats courses that make them feel they know maths up to the level that mathematicians and statisticians know. Before i forget, i also handled econometrics too. Economists are mathematically good to some extent, but to say they are better than mathematicians and statisticians or can effectively serve as statisticians is where i feel u don't know what statistics really is as a course. U probably may be looking at statistics as a social science discipline. We are scientists bro! The statistical system in nigeria is not fully developed that's why economists always try to perform the roles of statisticians in some ministries. In developed nations like the US and UK there is a boundary btw what statisticians and economists do in economic analyses.

Dekins88: This has said it all @ Cajetan speaks but to be sincere i think Economics sells more than Statistics in Nigeria.

Cajetan speaks: My question is still awaiting a sincere response.

Cajetan speaks: I know of all of those statisticians areas of specialty you mentioned(Geostatistics inclusive), but in all those areas, your duty starts and ends with DATA(collection,mgt &analysis).Basically you are data providers for professional in those fields.

Cajetan speaks: Based on my earlier stated facts, don't you think that a degree holder in related disciplines of those areas you mentioned plus skills in SPSS,SAS,STATA etc will be prefered over a guy with only a statistical background?Pls be sincere as you respond.