Gerald Goodall on why choose statistics


April is Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month, a timely opportunity to help raise the awareness and understanding of the field.

To aid this quest, a number of renowned Wiley Editors, Editorial Board Members and Authors have taken the time to tell us why they embarked on their journey in their chosen fields, what inspires and excites them, and why they’d encourage you to take the plunge!

This month The Wiley Network will publish some selected responses for you to read and share with your colleagues, students and friends. All responses will feature on StatisticsViews.com throughout April.

In continuing our series, Gerald Goodall shares his story.

I always enjoyed maths at school and went to university to study for a degree in Pure Mathematics. Statistics scarcely existed as a school subject in my days, and I knew nothing about it when I went to university. So, to try to find out, I did Statistics as a subsidiary subject in the first year. I found it difficult at first, but after a while it became clear and I was overwhelmed with interest in this wonderful way to deal with real problems in all walks of life. So I transferred to the specialist Statistics degree and, after graduating, took a job as an academic in Mathematics and Statistics at Brunel University.

I enjoyed academic life, studying books and journals, doing some research in various areas, but above all teaching the students and trying to inspire them with the same enthusiasm for Statistics as I had.

Several years later, I left to become Director of Education for the Royal Statistical Society. The Society does all the things you would expect a learned society / professional body to do – lots of meetings and conferences, publication of major journals, awarding professional status, accrediting university courses, running professional examinations, trying to influence government policy, and so on. It was great to be involved in the professional and educational aspects of this – it seemed to be “giving something back” to my discipline.

For ten years from 1997, I was Editor of the international journal ‘Teaching Statistics‘ that Wiley publishes. It carries articles, from authors all round the world, that aim to be immediately helpful to teachers of Statistics in schools. Another great and fulfilling experience for me.

The most exciting thing about my career? ALL of it!! But especially working with lots of really good people – at my university, at the Society and for the journal – who use Statistics in just about every aspect of industry, business, commerce and the government service, and who like to teach it.

If you’re comfortable with mathematics, not necessarily an expert in it but not afraid of it, like trying to solve important real problems in the real world, and enjoy meeting and working with others of like mind – then go for it. Statistics could be just right for you!