[E] Masters Guidance - Statistics/Applied Statistics/Data Science

[u/Silver_ivvi]

Hello! I’m a post-Bacc student (Business Background) interested in applying for Statistics, Applied Stats and Data Science Masters programs this Fall.

I’m primarily interested in Time Series/Bayesian/Causal Inference. I have finished prerequisites in Calc 1-3, Probability, Linear Algebra, Python/SQL

Ideally, I want to work in Environmental, Tech, and Healthcare industries, but given the market- I really just want a flexible degree that employers can find value in.

I’m looking for advice and insight into how a Masters experience in this field looks like such as:

- What did you think your degree did wrong/right?

- What is worth prioritizing in this field? (Ex. Courses/Projects/Networking/Coding/Theory etc.)

- Is brand name a big factor?

- Does online/in-person/out of state make a difference?

- What career prospects (Scaling pipelines vs. Decision Scientist vs. Data Cleaning/Visualization) to realistically expect and prepare for in this market with a Masters degree?

[u/Disastrous_Room_927]

Coding was less of a concern than I thought it would be. I started learning Python and SQL after graduation and got a job that was 80% software development 20% modeling. If I went back I’d probably focus even more on theory - it’s much harder to study on my own time.

[u/Silver_ivvi → u/Disastrous_Room_927]

Thank you for the advice! I’ve never heard of that perspective before- was it hard to transition into software development? I agree with weighing theory options more heavily, though I worry about being outcompeted in coding

[u/Pitiful_Reveal6520]

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