Operations Research Analyst
National median wage: $72,596
Best Cities
5. Baltimore, MD ($97,750)
4. Washington, DC ($106,960)
3. Virginia Beach, VA ($93,620)
2. San Diego, CA ($104,880)
1. San Jose, CA ($117,530)
Worst Cities
5. Tampa, FL ($52,830)
4. Jacksonville, FL ($53,210)
3. Miami, FL ($52,870)
2. Tallahassee, FL ($43,440)
1. Baton Rouge, LA ($40,800)
Certified Analytics Professional -- INFORMS
What it's all about: The CAP certification is a rigorous general analytics certification. It certifies end-to-end understanding of the analytics process, from framing business and analytic problems to acquiring data, methodology, model building, deployment and model lifecycle management. It requires completion of the CAP exam (available at more than 700 Kryterion computer-based testing centers in more than 100 countries) and adherence to the CAP Code of Ethics.
How to prepare: INFORMS provides preview material and a Complete CAP Study Guide as an aid. It also provides free half-day CAP refresher sessions for organizations with 10 or more candidates.
First employed by World War II military planners, operations research has become a key tool in the big data age used by companies and other organizations to better allocate resources, develop production schedules, manage supply chains and set prices. It helps transport companies move freight and manage distribution, allows health care systems to improve the collection and processing of patient lab specimens, and lets supermarkets determine how best to organize products, for example.
It used to be that a theme park operator would pair an engineer with a business expert to improve queuing at rides and attractions, notes [INFORMS President] Robin Keller, a professor of operations and decision technologies at the University of California—Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business. Today, that task is handled by a single person trained in operations research.
Graduate school isn't like undergrad when, in theory, you could take a year or two to choose a major and poke around different career paths. The process moves a little faster as an MBA student. You don't need to set your target job in stone, but you should have a solid idea or two in mind, so you're ready to make the most of your courses – as well as networking and recruitment opportunities.
The following jobs are well-suited for MBA graduates, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts hiring growth and solid salaries for each of them.
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6. Operations research analyst: These analysts use statistics to identify and troubleshoot problems usually relating to production, logistics and sales. It’s possible to find an entry-level position with just a bachelor’s degree, but higher-level operations research analysts usually have an MBA with a specialization in production and operations management. Consider top schools, such as the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at University of Michigan—Ann Arbor.
Parent trap. A third study found that investors put more money into mutual funds when the share price of the fund’s parent company is outperforming the market than they put into mutual funds run by companies whose share prices are lagging behind.
For most of the companies in the study, running mutual funds was a relatively minor source of revenue. That suggests that the inflow of investor money wasn’t driving the parent company’s share price, according to Clemens Sialm, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who co-wrote the study—which also included fund firms such as T. Rowe Price Group and Janus Capital Group.
The study, which didn’t include companies whose shares aren’t publicly traded, such as Vanguard Group and Fidelity Investments, is due to be published in Management Science, another peer-reviewed journal.
Ashley Smith
Public Affairs Coordinator
INFORMS
Catonsville, MD
[email protected]
443-757-3578
An audio journey of how data and analytics save lives, save money and solve problems.
Something remarkable is happening in Washington. Tech executives who once shunned the political spotlight now make regular pilgrimages to Capitol Hill, and artificial intelligence — a field that traces back to the 1950s — has become the talk of the town.
The company will no longer let people hang out or use its restrooms without making a purchase. It's a business move that some say could come with unintended consequences of racial bias reminiscent of an incident that thrust one Philadelphia Starbucks into the national spotlight.
Tariffs could raise the cost of medical care and prescription drugs for people in the U.S.
New findings from a team of renowned researchers calls for transparency and rigorous oversight of the U.S. Medicare Advantage (MA) program, the United States' largest healthcare capitation program.
A groundbreaking new study in the INFORMS journal Transportation Science reveals the severe and far-reaching consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on global food security. The research highlights an urgent need to address disruptions in the transportation of Ukrainian grains, which have caused dramatic price spikes and worsened food insecurity worldwide, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Middle East and North Africa.
Dockworkers on the East and Gulf coasts could go on strike again in less than two weeks if they don’t reach a contract agreement with ports and shippers. Talks are set to resume next week, according to Bloomberg. The main sticking point between the two sides? Automation.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban's question to Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, on energy costs took off on social media on Saturday.
Florida lawmakers have banned wind turbines off its shores and near the coast, saying the bill is meant to protect wildlife and prevent noise.