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Actuary
Business & FinanceYou calculate the probability of bad things happening to people and put a price tag on it. It's morbid math at its finest. You'll pass a series of exams that take years and destroy your social life, but when you emerge on the other side, you'll have one of the most stable, well-paid careers that nobody understands at dinner parties.
Salary Range
Low
$75k
Median
$113k
High
$170k
10-Year Growth
much faster
US Workers
29K
Education
Bachelor's in Mathematics/Statistics + actuarial exams (years of them)
Environment
indoor
Tools & Technical Skills
- ▸Actuarial exam completion (SOA/CAS track)
- ▸Statistical modeling (R, Python, SAS)
- ▸Reserving and pricing methodologies
- ▸Predictive analytics and GLMs
- ▸Financial reporting (GAAP, IFRS for insurance)
- ▸Excel VBA and actuarial software (MoSes, Prophet)
People & Mindset Skills
- ▸Mathematical reasoning
- ▸Communication of complex risk
- ▸Attention to detail
- ▸Discipline and persistence
- ▸Business judgment
Learn the skills
Courses and certifications to get you job-ready
Statistical modeling (R, Python, SAS)
Excel VBA and actuarial software (MoSes, Prophet)
What you'll actually do
- 01Build statistical models that predict how likely people are to die, crash, or get sick
- 02Study for actuarial exams that make the bar exam look like a pop quiz
- 03Price insurance products and pension plans using math most people can't pronounce
- 04Present risk analyses to executives who want the numbers lower without changing the assumptions
- 05Review mortality tables and loss ratios — the most depressing spreadsheets in finance
- 06Explain to non-actuaries what you do for a living and watch their eyes glaze over
Related Shifts
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