Actuarial Work Is Constantly PopularActuarial work has been rated as one of the best jobs in America. The US News & World Report rated it one of Best Careers of 2007. It has also consistently come up as one of the top five jobs in the Jobs Rated Almanac. In order to prepare for actuarial work, students should get a bachelors degree. Due to the requirements of the field and the exams that need to be taken to become an actuary, most actuaries have degrees in actuarial science, statistics, mathematics, finance, or economics, although as long as you get the mathematical and statistical background, including actuarial analysis, required for actuarial work you can major in practically anything. While at university, students preparing for actuarial work should try to prepare for and pass at least one of the actuarial exams. It is also recommended that they get some experience with actuarial work through a summer internship or summer job with an actuarial firm. This also gives them a chance to try out actuarial work and see if they actually like it, including the use of actuarial calculators and suchlike. After graduation, it usually isn't difficult for qualified graduates to find actuarial work since there are not a lot of actuaries, and the field is growing more quickly than the average. Most positions for people just starting out in actuarial work involve some type of rotation throughout the different departments of the employer so the new employee has a chance to get experience in the different areas of actuarial work done by the company. This will help them prepare for the actuarial exams, help them decide which type of actuarial work they prefer, and also help to prepare them for future managerial positions. Actuarial recruiters can be useful in this scenario. There are a few different types of actuarial work, though any actuary will need to know all about the use of actuarial tables, for instance. Most actuarial work is divided into two main specialties, as evidenced by the two different actuarial associations that administer actuarial exams, the COA and the SOA. The first few exams are the same for both organizations, giving actuarial candidates a chance to decide which area they would like to specialize in, either the property and casualty insurance specialization or the life and health side of actuarial work. Most actuarial work is done in comfortable surroundings, usually at a desk in an office for around 40 hours a week. However, those who do their actuarial work for a consulting company are likely to work longer hours, and many times travel to meet clients. They have a lot of variety in their actuarial work though, since there is no typical day. |