By Christina M. Wood-Wentz, MS (Mayo Clinic)
Information
Field-specific career survey courses are not present at many institutions, and where they are, they often do not address education level on career implications. In some fields such as medicine, it is well known that being a doctor requires going to medical school and residency, and what that career and salary path looks like. For areas such statistics, the implications of continuing or stopping one’s education are not as clearly laid out to students. Currently statistics students arrive to the field with a mismatch of education level and goals for their work experience, as they were not well advised on the implications of their choices.
A career survey activity was developed, with the goal of exposing undergraduate statistics and data science students to this concept, and therefore helping students align their educational plans with their post-graduation career. The project consisted of pre- and post-surveys to assess changes in student perceptions on education level, salary, and other expectations. In fall 2024, this project was piloted in 4 small undergraduate statistics classes at 1 public institution in Indiana showing interesting changes in students’ perceptions and expectations about their future careers. In the spring of 2025, a variety of institutions implemented the activity and surveys with IRB approval including public and private institutions with small (10-30 students) and large (over 100 students) undergraduate statistics and data science classes at introductory to intermediate levels.