O.R. Analysts & Statisticians

Do you know of any job vacancies for Operational Research Analysts and Statisticians in Nigeria? Do companies and firms look for them? I have never seen any advert/vacancy looking for them in Nigeria; except in Asia, Europe and America.

HELLO HOW ARE U.

THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION.

I STILL WONDER WHY ANALYSTS AND STATISTICIANS ARE NOT RECOGNISE IN NIGERIA.

AM A STATISTICIAN TOO AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY VACANCY FOR US

yes oo, they dont make use of O.R. Analysts and Statisticians in industries and companies in nigeria, thats why things are not moving well. You see companies folding up everyday. Nigerian managers are not yet aware of the dangers of not employing and using O.R. Analysts and Statisticians in the smooth running and operations of their companies/industries. I want to believe that is the reason why most Nigerian industries/companies are folding up.

A lot of mathematicians, Statisticians and O.R. Analysts have gone into other professions like accounting while others go into IT and work as programmers or system analysts. Nigeria is yet to know what Statistics and Operations Research is.

Most advance countries encourage people to go into the mathematical sciences, but Nigeria is a different country. If you study anything mathematics just get ready to be a teacher.

It's not true that you have to end up as a teacher if you study either mathematics or statistics, unless in most cases you want to. I studied mathematics and work as an analyst in a telecom firm. I have a colleague who studied statistics. I dont have anyone from my graduating class teaching. The key in most cases is to apply for positions requesting for graduates with an analytic background. Also take care to develop relevant skills in IT and financial related issues to improve your background.
Mathematics and statistics in most cases makes you become a jack of all trades and master of none

chimanu2000:

It's not true that you have to end up as a teacher if you study either mathematics or statistics, unless in most cases you want to. I studied mathematics and work as an analyst in a telecom firm. I have a colleague who studied statistics. I don't have anyone from my graduating class teaching. The key in most cases is to apply for positions requesting for graduates with an analytic background. Also take care to develop relevant skills in IT and financial related issues to improve your background.
Mathematics and statistics in most cases makes you become a jack of all trades and master of none

But most of the jobs do not carry the title[b] mathematician, statistician and operations research analyst.[/b] Have you asked yourself why you are not working in that telecom company as a mathematician or statistician?? Its funny. In UK, Asia, Europe and America positions for mathematicians, statisticians and operations analyst exist in most companies. Why is nigeria an exception?? I read statistics too but right now i'm working as a systems/network administrator and not as a statistician because no such position or office exist in my company which is one of the biggest financial companies in nigeria. What is the way forward now for mathematical scientists in nigeria??

hi,
thank u for all u are saying it realy pains me to see poeple with good course and yet dont have a job, what is wrong with our country ?

Quotes from Ishmael
But most of the jobs do not carry the title mathematician, statistician and operations research analyst. Have you asked yourself why you are not working in that telecoms company as a mathematician or statistician?? Its funny. In UK, Asia, Europe and America positions for mathematicians, statisticians and operations analyst exist in most companies. Why is Nigeria an exception?? I read statistics too but right now I'm working as a systems/network administrator and not as a statistician because no such position or office exist in my company which is one of the biggest financial companies in Nigeria. What is the way forward now for mathematical scientists in Nigeria??

I think the way forward is for us to encourage ourselves. As we are in a country that does not recognized a notable profession.Mathematicians and Statisticians are fast thinkers and strong people. Any where we find ourselves working we should do additional degree on such field.Like me i find myself in Finance so i have decided to do additional degree in finance.

nigeria is a very funny country.

hi
i just saw one advert and statisticians and mathematicians are included,
thank God may be u should try it out
check www.dipotepede.com

This is about the first time i really have mathematicians speaking out. You know it got to a time I almost started to regret why I studied mathematics. Going thru wat everyone has z so far, most of us (mathematics, statistician and rest) always end up doing something else. The question is: why is it dat we seem so irrelevant in this  part of the world? Wiff our level of reasoning, I think we shld be hot cakes, but the reverse seems to be the case. I am also fully into IT now, I av CCNA, and I am on CCNP courses now! You can imagine how much of additional stress one will have to go thru to get all that and yet u will find it difficult getting a job. I even had to go the the extent of learning French language so as to add to my profile. Do we av to do all these b4 we can get job(s). I even found out dat we r more into the IT world dan the guyz dat actually studies computer and the likes dat r actually related.
Pls tell us tell Seun(Administrator) to create a special forum for the Maths & Co guyz so dat we can trash out our problems and help one anoda there.

Yes o, mathematical scientists need to have a section on this forum where critical issues and thoughts from critical minds can be discussed and analysed mathematically. Seun please create a mathematics section for us on nairaland.

Lets us stand up together and make things better in Nigeria, we need to let everyone to know how important we are in this country so that they will give our job to another. May will form a body or an ASSOCIATION so that they will know it's a serious problem. 08135242720 (samson)

Nigeria is a very funny country. Most Statisticians in nigeria are either not doing the job of a statistician or are jobless. where as people who read nonrelevant courses are made to be heads of statistical bureaus and departments in most ministries. Tell me how we can have reliable data and how we can plan effectively and move the country forward with this kind of attitude, putting a squared peg in a round hole?? Until our government start employing and making use of statisticians both at Federal, state and local government levels, Nigeria will not move forward.

ishmael:

Yes o, mathematical scientists need to have a section on this forum where critical issues and thoughts from critical minds can be discussed and analysed mathematically. Seun please create a mathematics section for us on nairaland.

Why not create a thread for mathematicians here in the Career Section?

sure, go to bode thomas in lagos. the national population commission.

I'm proud to see Mathematicians here.

I'm studying STAT now& I need matured minds to give me a list of books 2be read

ishmael:

But most of the jobs do not carry the title[b] mathematician, statistician and operations research analyst.[/b] Have you asked yourself why you are not working in that telecom company as a mathematician or statistician?? Its funny. In UK, Asia, Europe and America positions for mathematicians, statisticians and operations analyst exist in most companies. Why is nigeria an exception?? I read statistics too but right now i'm working as a systems/network administrator and not as a statistician because no such position or office exist in my company which is one of the biggest financial companies in nigeria. What is the way forward now for mathematical scientists in nigeria??

I work as a product manager, and I employed 2 statisticians to work with me as prepaid product specialists.
Their statistical abilities help a lot to understand prepaid consumer behaviour. They are even more effective that the guys who do market intelligence in my company at getting data.

Though I think maybe Nigeria's corporate landscape is not that developed yet. Companies are big on operations and not R&, which is really where statisticians would play. It would be difficult to get a job as a statistician fresh out of school.

What statistics graduates should do is endeavor to upgrade yourself in the sector you're targeting. For example, you can look at a postgraduate in finance, economics, or actuaries to be able to get opportunities in the banking, finance, or insurance sectors. You can also go into data analysis/data mining. That's an area becoming big in most enterprises in Nigeria. You can also get skilled on marketing, to have a chance with the market planning and research areas. There's also geo-informatics which can go hand in hand with marketing towards geo-marketing. That's a skill that is now being looked at increasingly by FMCGs, and especially telcos.

There are lots of other opportunities, but these things take time to reveal themselves. Any professional in Nigeria should see themselves as pioneers, because in may sectors, the level of local manpower development is very low. You have to inculcate a value-add mentality, i.e. what can you bring to the table, rather than the usual I-just-need-a-job mentality. I read somewhere recently that around 20 million university graduates in America are doing jobs that don't require graduate knowledge, meaning they are essentially under-employed. So the problem is not really in Nigeria, we just have a more acute situation because we are grossly under-developed for our population.

well, until Nigerians sees the significant of education, we would continued to be where we are. this is not just a matter of passing exams and acquiring certificates, but the applications of what is been learned in school to day to day activities. in Nigeria today, certificate is a gateway to employment, after that they do things ordinarily (with the exception of few professions such as medicine,civil engineering). this is the reason why many non professionals sees themselves as been capable of occupying these positions. now tell me, how many of them has venture in acting as say a doctor?

I work as a product manager, and I employed 2 statisticians to work with me as prepaid product specialists.
Their statistical abilities help a lot to understand prepaid consumer behaviour. They are even more effective that the guys who do market intelligence in my company at getting data.

Though I think maybe Nigeria's corporate landscape is not that developed yet. Companies are big on operations and not R&, which is really where statisticians would play. It would be difficult to get a job as a statistician fresh out of school.

What statistics graduates should do is endeavor to upgrade yourself in the sector you're targeting. For example, you can look at a postgraduate in finance, economics, or actuaries to be able to get opportunities in the banking, finance, or insurance sectors. You can also go into data analysis/data mining. That's an area becoming big in most enterprises in Nigeria. You can also get skilled on marketing, to have a chance with the market planning and research areas. There's also geo-informatics which can go hand in hand with marketing towards geo-marketing. That's a skill that is now being looked at increasingly by FMCGs, and especially telcos.

There are lots of other opportunities, but these things take time to reveal themselves. Any professional in Nigeria should see themselves as pioneers, because in may sectors, the level of local manpower development is very low. You have to inculcate a value-add mentality, i.e. what can you bring to the table, rather than the usual I-just-need-a-job mentality. I read somewhere recently that around 20 million university graduates in America are doing jobs that don't require graduate knowledge, meaning they are essentially under-employed. So the problem is not really in Nigeria, we just have a more acute situation because we are grossly under-developed for our population.

spot on.

To me, maths or stat can't stand on their own.They are tools that will enable one understand and apply other fields of study more appropriately.As a math or stat grad, you should work towards acquiring other skills that will make you more marketable, especially in the area of finance, econs or I.T.

which course can stand on its own?

lekside44:

which course can stand on its own?

Plenty. Medicine, law, accounting, civil/mechanical/electrical engineering . . . just a few I can think of.

What chamber2 is saying is, math on its own require some kind of application in a particular sector.

Computer science is an application of math that is already defined from school, i.e. computer scientists can stand on their own. But it'll be very difficult for organizations in Nigeria to place an ad for mathematicians, even statisticians. They would need to be specialized in some way.

Plenty. Medicine, law, accounting, civil/mechanical/electrical engineering . . . just a few I can think of.

What chamber2 is saying is, math on its own require some kind of application in a particular sector.

Computer science is an application of math that is already defined from school, i.e. computer scientists can stand on their own. But it'll be very difficult for organizations in Nigeria to place an ad for mathematicians, even statisticians. They would need to be specialized in some way.

Thanks

chamber2:

Thanks

I partially disagree, If you studied mathematics up to a particular level, you would know that without mathematical tools like measure theory, integration theory and functional analysis, all the results proposed in engineering would fall flat. Engineering cannot stand on its own! That is why you have applied mathematicians at the R& departments of top oil companies. You will also find mathematicians at any world class engineering firms,  It is sardonic that we do not engage in world class R& in Nigeria. Come to Shell at The Hague in the Netherlands and you will see an example of what I am talking about. 

For your information, the correctness of the solutions to all those engineering problems is guaranteed by functional analysis. I am not talking about mere calculus, differential equations, and other trivial stuff  here.

I concur that it may be true that medicine, law and some others can stand of their own. I am not knowledgeable in those areas, and so cannot debate anything there,

tanimola22:

I partially disagree, If you studied mathematics up to a particular level, you would know that without mathematical tools like measure theory, integration theory and functional analysis, all the results proposed in engineering would fall flat. Engineering cannot stand on its own! That is why you have applied mathematicians at the R& departments of top oil companies. You will also find mathematicians at any world class engineering firms,  It is sardonic that we do not engage in world class R& in Nigeria. Come to Shell at The Hague in the Netherlands and you will see an example of what I am talking about. 

For your information, the correctness of the solutions to all those engineering problems is guaranteed by functional analysis. I am not talking about mere calculus, differential equations, and other trivial stuff  here.

I concur that it may be true that medicine, law and some others can stand of their own. I am not knowledgeable in those areas, and so cannot debate anything there, 

I think you missed the point of the arguments.
Those mathematicians at the Hague surely must have an area of specialisation. Whether number theory, statistics, operational research, calculus, it is the applications of mathematics that would be useful to Shell.

For me as an engineer, i know enough mathematics to do my job. Essentially, we engineers are applied mathematicans and physicists all in one. We don't discount the importance of mathematics to our respective areas of specialization, but we certainly don't need mathematicians to design circuits and systems. We are equipped with enough applied math to do that

AjanleKoko:

I think you missed the point of the arguments.
Those mathematicians at the Hague surely must have an area of specialisation. Whether number theory, statistics, operational research, calculus, it is the applications of mathematics that would be useful to Shell.

For me as an engineer, i know enough mathematics to do my job. Essentially, we engineers are applied mathematicans and physicists all in one. We don't discount the importance of mathematics to our respective areas of specialization, but we certainly don't need mathematicians to design circuits and systems. We are equipped with enough applied math to do that

nigeria is one f, ked of a country. its a pity that many people graduate as an engineer from the university and work 4 multinational company, but do not practice engineering. i started my career as a technician but at the peak of that career, i saw the need to have a university degree. i graduated from the university, but my visit to many industries and rap-our with my friends who are working for various company i only observed that what many does is not different from what i did as a technician. i am currently working on softwares that will enable our engineers utilizes most of the formulas they learn t in school in their various fields.

lekside44:

nigeria is one f, ked of a country. its a pity that many people graduate as an engineer from the university and work 4 multinational company, but do not practice engineering. i started my career as a technician but at the peak of that career, i saw the need to have a university degree. i graduated from the university, but my visit to many industries and rap-our with my friends who are working for various company i only observed that what many does is not different from what i did as a technician. i am currently working on softwares that will enable our engineers utilizes most of the formulas they learn t in school in their various fields.

I think we just need to exercise more patience.
With time, at some point, Nigeria will have to start to industrialize, or crumble. I doubt the nation will crumble. Already in the oil sector, we're in the age of local content. With time, manufacturing and services will start, and then engineers will take their chance.

AjanleKoko:

I think we just need to exercise more patience.
With time, at some point, Nigeria will have to start to industrialize, or crumble. I doubt the nation will crumble. Already in the oil sector, we're in the age of local content. With time, manufacturing and services will start, and then engineers will take their chance.

well, its not just about a matter of time, but the practitioners must see the need for it. many organizations today have the capital, but until they see the need of these computer systems in their analysis and design of their goods, the story will continue in this trend even in a million years to come. thus what we need is to use this medium and others to re orientate our upcoming future engineers so that they can follow the path of righteousness as we have in advanced countries.

lekside44:

well, its not just about a matter of time, but the practitioners must see the need for it. many organizations today have the capital, but until they see the need of these computer systems in their analysis and design of their goods, the story will continue in this trend even in a million years to come. thus what we need is to use this medium and others to re orientate our upcoming future engineers so that they can follow the path of righteousness as we have in advanced countries.

Who says the practitioners don't see the need for it? The truth is, lakeside, just how many practitioners do we even have? In the manufacturing sector (which I think you work in), we don't even have up to 5 indigenous industries. Most are multinationals, and they always come with their own solutions and technology partners when they set up in Nigeria. What Nigerian engineers need to do is try to focus on the SMEs and provide them solutions that fit their pockets, and can be translated to value. It can be something as simple as a can opener, orange peeler, or even apple cutter, why can't we design one in Nigeria? If you walk into a Wal-Mart, you will find simple cheap devices that can do all those tasks. We Nigerian engineers are waiting for people to give us contract to build bridges and skyscrapers, space satellites and cars.

Operational Research is not just Mathematics or only statistics. It is applied statistics and maths. It is define as the discipline of applying advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions. If you are a first graduate in any of this two, you might not get a job as Operational Research analyst. You will need to do more and get additional degree. I studied soil science in school. I remember I did linear programming in one of the economics courses I took. I later learn Java and Oracle. I moved to project management and begin to see how important is operational research skill is, even as a project manager. (The what if analysis, the critical path methods, the PERT, the network diagram. If you are a PMP, you will know what I am talking about.) I am actually travelling next year to University of British Colombia to study master of management in operational research. I believe most managers, don't know how guys in this feed can help them. That's one problem. I also believe those in this field can go into consultancy if you really know OR. Before you know it, just like those programmer goes to seek contract, you too can and the profession will become popular. I am already assuming a leadership position where I work as Operation and Quality assurance manager. I am sure I will be one of the guys that we make this profession popular. In addition, please, know that statistics and mathematics or computer science is just the foundation to study OR or Management Science (the way its called). But a lot goes into it down the foundation.

If you are really interested in OR, I suggest you visit : http://www.thinkor.org/ and  http://informs.org/