(Via Actuary.net) Six
Figure Jobs has a nice little writup on the profession:
Become an Actuary? What the heck is an actuary? That’s what I first said when I heard that job title. Little did I
know that being an actuary has been consecutively ranked as one of the best jobs in United States by the Job Rated Almanac, based on
criteria such as environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands, security and stress.[...]The actuarial exams are probably the biggest obstacles in becoming an actuary. The exams have the reputation of being the most
rigorous of all professional exams, even harder than the Certified Public Accountant or Chartered Financial Analyst exams.
Nevertheless, the exams can be mastered with perserverance and many hours of studying.
Whenever I’m reminded of it, the Jobs Rated Almanac and similar publications amuse me when it comes to the actuarial profession.
Actuaries are generally said to have one of the lowest stress jobs around. That can be true if you want it to be…and as long as
you ignore the exams.
To get the cushy jobs, you have to slog through the hell of the exam system, an experience that cannot really be appreciated until
you’ve either experienced it yourself, or have lived with someone while they’re going through it.