What's your job about?
I work at Finity Consulting, an Actuarial Consulting Firm. We help insurers in setting premiums and determining how much money they need to set aside to pay the claims that have (or might) occur. We also do work for other companies when they need help quantifying and understanding uncertain financial outcomes. In my role as an analyst, I spend most of my time doing the maths. This includes processing and manipulating data and updating and building models. I also spend time writing presentations, reports and papers. I often get to meet with our clients, including CEOs and industry leaders. I am normally working on five different projects with each project lasting about 2 months so I never get bored. I have also been seconded to work directly within a client’s workforce. This gives me an opportunity to be immersed in the project and to experience other working environments.
What's your background?
I lived in Canberra for most of my life before moving up to Sydney for my current job. At school I enjoyed maths and science. Between school and university I had a gap year where I lived in London, working as a teacher’s aid in a primary school. In the school holidays and on weekends I travelled around Europe. It was a great experience in which I become much more confident and independent. While overseas I considered what I missed learning about and changed my career direction from medicine to maths. At uni I worked as a tutor and also in both retail and hospitality. While not directly applicable to my current work these jobs taught me a lot of valuable skills. I also did a 10 week internship at a consulting firm in my penultimate year. I joined Finity as part of the Graduate recruitment processes and have been here for 2 and a half years.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes. It doesn’t matter what background you have however you have to love maths. Other than maths valuable skills include the ability to communicate effectively (both written and oral), the ability to solve problems and being able to work well in teams.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The thing I enjoy most about my job is how mentally challenging it is. I love being given jobs where I need to work out how to solve a new problem. I know I’m doing the right job when I look at the clock and 3 hours has gone passed without me noticing.
What are the limitations of your job?
Some months can be very busy. When this happens I do need to work long hours to get the work done. There is also 3 years of post-graduate study which you need to do before being a qualified actuary. Juggling study and work can be challenging but my work provides us with plenty of support.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...