Data Scientists Are #1!

Summit is pleased to report that the majority of our employees are working in the #1 job in America, according to Glassdoor's new report.Glassdoor indicates that data scientists are the definitive job winners in terms of job openings, career opportunities, and reported salary, moving up from the #9 top job slot in 2015. Summit's consulting staff are trained in data science and represent a unique mix of expertise, including statistics, computer programming, economics, and math. We use these special skill sets to study and solve issues facing commercial and governmental entities. 

Summit believes that our uniquely qualified and skilled staff are our most valuable asset, and we support our data scientists in a number of ways:

• We offer ongoing opportunities for education and training to staff through our in-house, semi-monthly Professional Education and Knowledge Seminars (PEAKS) training program. We also provide each employee with up to $2,500 in reimbursement for education, professional memberships, and conference participation costs. 
• We nominate staff for Summit's Survey and Sampling Methodology Fellowship, which provides graduate-level training through the University of Maryland Joint Program in Survey Methodology and culminates with a certificate in survey methodology or statistics. 
• Many staff members join Summit's popular Data Science Club, which meets weekly to discuss a wide variety of data science topics.

Summit strives to ensure that our data scientists are well-nourished physically and emotionally by providing healthy snacks (our Wellness Committee focuses on snacks and other wellness initiatives), subsidized on-site yoga, a free on-site gym membership, social sports team opportunities (soccer and softball), Capital Bikeshare memberships, a foosball table in the company kitchen, and 16 flexible work hours to devote to community service. We promote flexibility by affording staff the opportunity to work remotely or on alternative work schedules as needed—or as preferred.

Beyond these benefits, we find that Summit staff members thrive when doing meaningful work. We use statistics for good by helping our clients address issues like ensuring the employee benefit programs play by the rules, reducing improper Medicare payments, and making it easier for communities to receive funding for grassroots development. This good work, combined with good benefits, seems to highly correlate with our data scientists’ professional happiness!