<p>I am currently a freshman in college, majoring in Statistics. As a requirement i have to take an Intro to programming with Java, which i am struggling with very much. I'm just wondering if programming is important in statistics, because i don't get it at all and its definitely not my thing.</p>
<p>I’d say its important to get stats if you’re a programmer. Programming could open many doors for you as a Stat major, but I don’t think its necessary.</p>
<p>I don’t think Java Programming is very useful for a statistics major. The dominant programming language for statistical analysis is R, so you would do much better by developing proficiency with R and RStudio.</p>
<p>I have seen company looking for data scientists with PhD or Master degree in Statistics. They prefer someone who knows R but also indicate knowing Hadoop, which uses Java, is a big plus at the same time. It is a worthwhile effort if you are interested in this area.</p>
<p>I think you just need to spend enough time to get over the hump. The process may not be pleasant but it is not hard.</p>
<p>I did a major in math (stats). With the exception of one course, every upper level stats class had programming (in R or SAS or Matlab).</p>
<p>Learning Java makes it easier to learn the others, without spending much class time on the specifics.</p>
<p>Stats without programming is very limiting. Computers have evolved to solve most modern statistical and mathematical problems. Computers are an indispensable tool as calculators and visualizers, because most significant things simply cannot and shouldn’t be calculated by hand. Studying statistics without the ability to use computers for calculation is therefore pretty limiting or even useless today.</p>
<p>You may need to consider why are you taking stats if you’re not interested in statistical computing as well. R is one of the most used tools among statisticians. You may not need Java or other general purpose languages, but I’d say it’s a good thing to know, if there comes a time when you need to write your own software.</p>
<p>“Learning Java makes it easier to learn the others, without spending much class time on the specifics.”</p>
<p>This is also very true. So you could put the work in now and enjoy later when you understand all higher level interpreted languages much more easily and with less effort.</p>