Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Statistical Assistant
What statistical assistants actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for a statistical assistant?
Pull new survey data. From there, the day usually includes collect data, clean and code data, and run basic statistics. Full-time business hours.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a statistical assistant working full time.
- Pull new survey data.
- Clean missing values.
- Code open-ended responses.
- Run summary statistics.
- Build tables.
- Check against last month.
- Document steps.
Where statistical assistants work
Statistical assistants work in offices, often for government and research groups.
Hours and schedule
Full-time business hours.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Collect data
- Clean and code data
- Run basic statistics
- Build tables and charts
- Check data quality
- Document methods
- Support reports
Tools you’ll use every day
- Excel
- R or SAS
- SPSS
- SQL
- Survey data systems
- Charting tools
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Entry to data careers
- Analytical work
- Office hours
- Stable employers
What’s hard
- Small field
- Repetitive cleaning
- Modest pay
- Slow decline
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I like data
- I’m accurate
- I like spreadsheets
- I want a data career
- I like quiet work
- I’m patient with cleaning
Not sure? Take the free Statistical Assistant fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Protect confidential data
- Follow data security rules
- Document changes
- Report errors