If you love maths, a career as an actuary working with mathematical models could be the ‘perfect 10’ job for you – but what is an actuary exactly?
An actuary is a professional person who works within the business and financial sector. They use their great mathematics, statistical, probability, modelling, numerical and problem solving skills to model and predict the risk before business decisions are made. A qualified actuary can work anywhere in the world within many industries and sectors. So how do you go about becoming an actuary?
Get the CAA qualification
The Certified Actuarial Analyst (CAA) is a professional qualification provided by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) and is available to everyone. The CAA will equip you with useful business and finance skills by developing your technical, strategic and analytical knowledge. The CAA is a qualification offering a gateway into careers in banking, investment, insurance and finance.
A head for figures
If you love maths, analysing data and statistics and if you are good at solving problems then this qualification will be right for you. There are no academic requirements to get started – you just need to be good at maths.
Accessible to all
Anyone can use the CAA as a stepping stone into a career in finance and business – no previous qualifications or experience are required. All learning resources are available on-line, giving you the flexibility to learn in your own time from home and fees for the exams and membership will not break the bank. The CAA qualification consists of six computer-based exams – the first five are multiple-choice and the last one is essay-based and it’s a great option for anyone aspiring to work in the financial sector without having to go down the university route.
Career opportunities
Once you start taking the CAA exams you are demonstrating your abilities and desire to work in finance and business and you can apply for roles with job titles like:
- Data Analyst
- Junior Financial Analyst
- Actuarial Assistant
- Predictive Analyst.
A professional qualification like the CAA will enable you to work in many industries in many varied roles and actuaries can now be found in many wider fields, such as:
- Nuclear decommissioning
- The oil and gas industries
- Disaster risk management
- Micro-insurance
A career as an actuary has once again been voted a top career 2015 by CareerCast and you can find out about job openings, average pay and working hours using our careerometer – just search for actuary.
If you can do the maths and pass the exams then an actuarial career will be right for you, visit the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries website to learn more or email [email protected]
