Audience
There are few who actually discover
that actuarial science exists, let alone actually decide to pursue a career as
an actuary. Those who typically find this field either know someone who is an
actuary or hear about it in an accounting, finance, or economics course. Of the
individuals that find actuarial science, those with a true love of mathematics
and problem solving actually decide to test the waters and pursue a
professional career as an actuary. One of the biggest dangers these newcomers
will face are the stereotypes and the lack of emphasis on the non-mathematical
skills required to be successful. Having strong analytical skills is obviously
essential to being an actuary, but little realize the necessity and daily uses
of communication that actuaries are required to master. There are certain
skills that are needed to land a first job or internship, be successful in that
job, and continue to progress in an actuarial career that are completely non analytical.
Those entering into or deciding whether or not to pursue a career as an actuary
need to consider that being able to be persuasive in their speech is necessary
to their overall success.
Context
The path to becoming an actuary is
a long one. There are multiple national certification exams that one must
complete, along with other required national course work, in order to become a
certified actuary. Because of this long road to certification it is valuable for
any student considering the path of actuarial science to get as much information
as possible, to help themselves decide if it is really right for them and
before taking too many of these excruciating exams. Knowing the history and the
necessary role that communication could play in their lives is very valuable to
students considering this field of study in order to prepare better for what
may be ahead.
Rhetoric
The stereotypical math obsessed,
non-social actuary is becoming a thing of the past. Many successful actuaries
are business consultants, no longer crunching the numbers but simply working
with clients every single day. For an actuary knowing what to say and how to
say it could be the difference between signing a client, vs losing a client.
This type of speech also is important in landing entry level jobs which can be
competitive, and those who lack the communication skills (although they have
the necessary analytical skills) will often be left out. Effective internal and
external communication/persuasion are not optional for successful actuaries,
they are absolutely essential.
History
The history of the science itself
is important for this audience to understand, but more importantly the history
of the “actuary” himself is more important to understand. This background can
shed light on whether or not they fit the mold of an actuary, and put to rest
what is true and what is false when it comes to the personality of the actuary.
History can be very telling for someone trying to make a decision on whether or
not to pursue actuarial science.
Plan
After outlining some of the things
above I feel that I understand what is going to be most valuable to someone
entering this field of study and what things I need to share more of. I need to
emphasize more on how knowing rhetoric and history within the field can help
you land your first job. In my experience that is where I have seen it be most
helpful to this point. Before really applying persuasion into my interview process
for example, I was not successful in securing an internship. These type of
experiences and topics will be more applicable to those just starting down the
road of actuarial science.
I may also spend a little more time
researching some history of the science, as even those who have been students
in the major for quite some time can struggle in answering the questions “What
is actuarial science?” More background and history on the subject may help
those who read make a more informed decision on whether or not this is the
career path for them. With this in mind I think I can develop a powerful and
helpful paper for those interested in pursuing actuarial science.
Nice post! Up until the beginning of this semester, I was actually planning on being an actuary myself. Things did not go so well with the math, but the rest was fine. In fact, the challenge of problem solving while communicating with others was kind of what drew me in in the first place. It turns out that I really like problem solving, just not when numbers are involved. Still, I must agree that the actuarial field is not one known by many. There is a lot of misconception and unknowing associated with it. Whenever people asked me what an actuary was, I just told them it was somewhat like being the weatherman of money. Whether or not that explained well enough or in the right way, I don't know, but it was a reassuring answer for others to hear. Either way, keep up the good work on your project and in your mysterious future occupation.
ReplyDeleteCool stuff. I like how you identified the specific times and areas in your career in which more historical and rhetorical knowledge would help. It was especially interesting to see how this knowledge could help people decide if they actually want to dive into actuarial science at all. Nice.
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