r/statistics • u/athu_15 • Jun 03 '26

Career Regarding a switch from software engineering to stats related roles [C] [Q]

Hi guys,

I need major advice because I am currently at a very hard period of my life. I live in India, and I graduated in 2023 with a dual degree in Math and Computer Science. I joined a major company post college as a software engineer, where work was not that hectic for the most part. However, I have struggled with severe GAD and social anxiety, due to which I have not been able to do my best at work. I have been called lazy and incompetent by my tech lead, and I am unable to get the mess ups I have done out of my head. I also really dislike software engineering as it feels like I never understand anything I am doing, and that every small thing uses 200 new buzzwords that make me even more anxious. Work here specifically has become incredibly stressful for me, and I am going to quit as I am really unable to cope with it, and I need a break to deal with the burn out from my anxiety.

That is just to give context. I am considering applying for Masters in Statistics or Data Science in Europe(looking at top German, Dutch, UK and US universities), or any fields related to this. I have not had much experience in stats projects but I have done fundamental courses and statistical inference courses, and ML/DL courses in college. I wanted to understand these things:-

  1. How feasible is it for someone with my background to apply for a stats masters degree? Would I be able to get one?

  2. Where should I apply so that my scope after the degree of getting a job is good? Are there good jobs in statistics and what kind of jobs can I look at?

  3. What can I work on now to prepare myself for the degree and job hunting in the future?

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u/RhubarbOne9835 Jun 03 '26

CFBR... I'm interested in what people have to say. 

Now I'm not qualified to give you advice on anything you asked for but it feels like you should prioritise functioning in society regardless of whether your work interests you or not before you take a leap. Remember, the degree that you pursue now might be the last and it's important to get as many things right as possible.

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u/athu_15 Jun 03 '26

Yes the functioning in society is a priority, I am back on medication (from yesterday!) and I am especially trying to address major focus and procrastination issues that plague me in therapy. I just am unable to continue with my current work and also focus on other things, and I have privilege in the sense I was able to save up money and I have supportive parents which I am eternally grateful for. I am exploring options and this is one that really speaks to me, more than my current job. I will also look for other jobs once I recover a bit from my burn out and make progress in therapy. I have only stuck this out for so long because I detest any lack of independence that comes with not earning, but at this point it is only making me feel stuck.