When I first started college, I attended a two-year community college in my hometown to save money. My goal was to finish with an associate's degree, but then transfer on to a four-year university. I knew that I loved mathematics, but had no clue what to do with it. I chose to major in Business Administration, but still took all the math classes that the college offered.
In two years, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in mathematics. Without having any knowledge of what to do with a career in math, I talked to my professors. They led me in the direction of actuarial science. They explained to me that actuaries deal with uncertainty and numbers. They work to reduce the risk of undesirable events for hospitals, insurance companies, schools and others. I learned that actuaries are strong in math, earn a lot of money, and need to station themselves in a larger city. As a young college student that loved math, this seemed perfect!
I looked into four-year universities, and was torn between studying at UW-Madison and UW-Eau Claire. Both schools had Actuarial Science majors, but UW-Eau Claire's program was really a mathematics major with an actuarial science emphasis. Regardless, because of the proximity to my hometown, I chose to study at UW-Eau Claire.
I remained a mathematics/actuarial science major for the my year at UW-Eau Claire, but then chose to switch directions. I was employed as a student tutor in the mathematics lab on campus. After seeing the light bulb come on in numerous students, I realized that I loved to teach! I switched my major to mathematics education and have not looked back since.
Even though it was not for me, I still believe Actuarial Science is a wonderful career! I've attached the following link to educate you more about this wonderful profession! It includes the top 10 reasons to become an actuary and a skills quiz to determine if it's the career for you.
