What is Statistician?
A '''statistician''' is someone who works with [[theory|theoretical]] or applied [[statistics]]. The profession exists in both the private and [[public sector]]s. The core of that work is to [[measure]], interpret, and describe some events in the world and spot patterns within them. The field shares much common history with [[social science]], but often with a greater view on complex [[mathematical]] methods. Statisticians commonly have higher college degrees or other credentials as proof that they are qualified for the job. It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects. The applications are varied. Statisticians apply their knowledge to production, research, finance, [[medicine]], [[insurance]], [[census]]-taking, [[government]], etc. They often are employed to support managerial decisions or to supervise [[quality control]] in manufacturing. ==Nature of the work== According to the United States [[Bureau of Labor Statistics]], as of 2008, there were 22,600 jobs listed as ''statistician'' in the [[United States]]. Of these people, approximately 30% worked for governments (federal, state, or local). Additionally, there are substantial numbers of persons who use statistics in their work but have job titles other than ''statistician''.<ref>[http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos045.htm Statisticians] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060805092151/http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos045.htm |date=2006-08-05 }}. United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2007-10-03.</ref> The job of statistician is considered a [[profession]]. Most statisticians work in offices and have regular working hours and can therefore be considered to be [[white-collar worker]]s. A lower number of statisticians are self-employed as statistical [[consultant]]s. Most employment as a statistician requires a minimum of a [[masters degree]] in statistics or a related field. Many professional statisticians have a [[PhD]]. ==History== Civilizations have used the work of statisticians for thousands of years.