Westfield State College Department of Mathematics Career Information Page

Mathematical Careers in the Actuarial Field

Mathematics is a valuable tool in the Actuarial field. What an actuary does is create and maintain valuable statistics that help organizations predict the future. An actuary has an abundance of mathematical skills, enjoys problem-solving, and is usually a curious person who is interested in doing research. Besides these qualities that an actuary normally possesses, one must be able keep up on current trends and business issues, as well as know the latest information in the social sciences, law, and economics. This knowledge enables an actuary to be familiar with any situation that he/she is asked to tackle. Therefore, he/she is able to factor in the certain social and cultural factors that effect his/her calculations, which brings him/her to the significant predictions that he/she is paid to find.

Some great descriptions of what the job of a mathematician in the Actuarial field entails can be found from the following sources:

• Look at Purdue University's description of an actuary and the common steps to getting into this field.
• Check out Actuaries Make a Difference, a pamphlet distributed by The Society of Actuaries, that discusses what an actuary does, where an actuary works, information about the Actuarial Exams, various job descriptions by actuary, and much more information that one would want to know about this profession.
• Click here to view a web page, sponsored by Actuarial Careers, Inc., that contains all sorts of information pertaining to the career of an actuary.
• Great Jobs for Math Majors is a very informative book that gives a detailed description of what an actuary does, what a common salary might be, where an actuary might work, and strategies for finding a job. (Pages 143-180.)
• To find out the nature of an actuary's job, as well as some personal descriptions, read the Mathematical Scientists At Work: Second Edition.
• Click here to read about Regina M. Berens' career as a Consulting Actuary with Muetterties, Bennett and Associates. This description is one of the many provided by the American Mathematical Society.
• Read the stories written first-hand of Actuaries, Actuary Analysts, and Actuary Assistants in 101 Careers in Mathematics. This book has interesting stories about what these people do for a living, and how they got there. (Pages 24, 102, 112, 114, 134, 202.)
• Click here for another interesting description from the American Mathematical Society. There, you can read about Kara Raiguel's career as an Assistant Actuary with the CIGNA Corporation. She finds that her calculus, probability and statistics, and analysis courses prove to be very helpful.