Marney Edwards

The core skills from studying Maths and Physics along with summer scholarship experience has given Marney the edge in her role as a statistical analyst.

I really enjoyed mathematics at school but didn't know of any maths-related jobs I wanted. Since I had studied Physics at high school, and it paired well with Maths, I decided to continue studying them both. I assumed a Physics degree would lead to some cool jobs.

I loved learning all the varied maths subjects that you don't get taught at high school, particularly matrices and high-level calculus. For Physics, I enjoyed learning more about the fundamental laws of the universe and seeing the mathematics behind it. The two majors really complemented each other. I didn't have space to do any other courses, which I regret a little.

I got hired for my first role a month after finishing my degree! My maths and physics background translated well to the role, as I had developed an analytical brain and gained experience working with numbers. The work experience that helped the most in attaining the role was a summer scholarship that I was lucky enough to get at the end of my second year, through Victoria University of Wellington—Te Herenga Waka and Robinson Research Institute. This experience added to the education and hospitality jobs in my CV and gave me a reference from someone in the field. Plus, I learnt how to write some basic code, which really helped! If you can get a summer scholarship, I'd highly recommend that. It really adds to your work experience. Lots of local companies, as well as the university offer internships or summer work experience.

While not all the content learned in my studies applied directly to work, the skills I learned in those courses did. My problem-solving and resilience, critical and analytical thinking skills really helped, as did my understanding of Excel, and an ability to read basic code. I still use these every day. Another skill I use more than I thought I would, is report writing and communicating in simple English.

I am currently working as a data analyst for Stats NZ. My role varies depending on where we are in the month/quarter/year, but it is always data-based. My team produces data releases on a monthly and quarterly basis, so I help validate, prepare, and report on the figures. There is a lot of work that goes into collecting and releasing data and statistics.

One key piece of advice: don't be daunted by job adverts. Employers are often describing their dream candidate, and just because you don't have all the skills listed, doesn't mean you won't get the job. You have nothing to lose from applying and you might get some good interviewing practice!