Intro

I’ve had a lot of majors here at BYU. I think my problem is that I’m interested in a lot of different things. Any time I found a new interest, I instantly started to plan my whole life around that one thing (changing my major, making a fou year plan, and researching possible careers). Eventually I ended up in statistics (which will be my final major, seeing as I graduate next April). I don’t think that this is just happenstance. I’ve stuck with statistics because it allows me to pursue my other interests by using the skills in data science I am learning. This post will go more into how a stats student at BYU can use data science to fulfill their other interests while sticking with one major/plan.

Mentored Research

This is the first way that comes to mind, simply because this is how I first got started using statistics outside of my stats classes. Mentored research is an opportunity for students to work with professors on interesting projects. Professors from every department at BYU are doing research, so there is a huge variety in the types of questions they’re trying to solve and methods they are using to do so. The one thing that all of this research has in common is that it is usually presented as a paper, typically one published in a peer-revied article. In overly simple terms, the research process is made up of coming up with a question, collecting data, analyzing that data, and publishing the results. Statistics students are uniquely qualified to help with that data pipeline. Managing and analyzing data are both great skills we learn here in the stats degree at BYU. If you have an interest or something you want to learn more about, look into what kinds of research are going on in that department or college. Here’s an example from the School of Life Sciences website: [https://lifesciences.byu.edu/advisement/mentored-research] . The majority of the research being published will include some form of data analysis. Simply reaching out to professors who have similar interests to you and letting them know about your willingness to help and your skills in data science is a great way to get involved in something you love, while using the skills from your statistics classes.

Clubs

This is another great way to use your data science skills to get involved. BYU has an insane amount of clubs. If you can think of it, then there’s probably a club for it. And if not, you can start your own! Anything that interests you, from sustainability to dance to video games has a club for you to join. And once you’re in, you can start looking for ways to get involved that take advantage of your skills and expertise. This will give you the opportunity to get started in something new and interesting while expanding your skillset and portfolio with novel and real world projects. While it might be intimidating to show up to a club meeting or reach out for the first time, the pay off for getting to be involved in something you love is well worth it. You can make connections and learn from people who have similar interests. It’s the diversity of people’s backgrounds and knowledge that make change and growth possible, both on personal and organizational level. You can find more about BYU’s clubs at [https://clubs.byu.edu/] .

Jobs and Internships

This one might be the hardest or easiest option, depending on a few things. Looking for a job that can be tough and it is almost always easier to join a club than to get hired for a job. But this is usually the best way to begin preparing for your future. Getting a full-time job after graduation will be a lot easier if you can show you have the necessary expertise and skills to thrive in a workplace. Working or interning provides a great opportunity to get that real world experience that is missing from many classroom settings. The key is that almost all fields need statistics and/or data science. This means that these opportunities can take place in whatever field interests you. Do you like skiing? Ski resorts probably have data analytics. Interested in healthcare? Bioinformatics is huge. Your data science skills will be in high demand in almost any company, it’s just a matter of finding the right fit and getting the job. Then you can be immersed in your interests, while appl;ying your classroom knowledge and preparing for your future.

Conclusion

Statistics and data science are both very in demand skills. As a statistics student, you are almost uniquely positioned to explore your other interests through your knowledge you’re gaining in your major. Look into professors, clubs, and jobs as a way to get involved in something that fascinates you. Talk about your data science skills and how they could be useful in that situation, and I promise you that you will find more opportunities than you thought you could.