<p>becoming an engineer is no cakewalk either…</p>
<p>
I hear that even passing 2 exams is something everyone’s accomplished these days. When 2 exams set you apart many years ago, now it really isn’t enough to be “ahead of the game”</p>
<p>What proportion of people who started out as entry-level actuaries (1 or 2 exams) actually end up being the ones who earn $150K+?</p>
<p>And what do the ones who can’t progress beyond a certain line do for the rest of their lives?</p>
<p>The posters on the discussion forum - Be an actuary - present a pretty dismal picture for graduates trying to find entry level actuarial jobs, including graduates with high GPAs and several exams passed. Poster comments are in conflict with the rosey picture often presented for this profession. I don’t know if the the job market is worse for entry level actuarial positions then for engineering or I banking. A recent article by CNN Money listed the top 50 jobs and in the past it seemed that actuary was always in the top ten. This time it did not make the list</p>
<p>A friend applied for an internship as an actuary last summer and there were 300 applicants for 2 slots!</p>
<p>^ Yes I heard about the employment problems too. I thought actuaries were in demand because there are less than 20000 actuaries in the US now… Maybe it’s just the economy?</p>
<p>Is employment any better for engineers right now?</p>
<p>When I went to a session at Iowa State University, they talked about how engineering is doing better than many other professions. They said that there are many older engineers that are looking to retire, so engineering should be good now. I’m not sure how true this information is, but it does paint a nice picture for engineering.</p>
<p>As far as salary potential is concerned, the top 25% of actuaries make $114,570+ and the top 10% of actuaries make $145,600+. The statistics for engineering vary by discipline, but in general the top 25% appear to make ~$95,000+ and the top 10% appear to make ~$115,000+.</p>
<p>Of course, these numbers are just estimates based off the latest BLS data and do not account for those who start out in one field and end up in another (such as management). They also fail to consider the difficulty of becoming part of the top 25%/10% of earners.</p>
<p>poor actuaries gettin’ fooled by that d*mn SOA website</p>
<p>One consideration is the relatively loose definition of what “an engineer” can be. Quants on wall street usually are “Financial Engineers” and engineering managers can still be considered “engineers”.</p>
<p>"They said that there are many older engineers that are looking to retire, so engineering should be good now. I’m not sure how true this information is, but it does paint a nice picture for engineering. "</p>
<p>LOL! Most engineers I know have no plans to retire because their retirement funds have been decimated. One shouldn’t expect the picture to be particularly good in any field because the story is the same - most older workers do not plan on retiring any time soon.</p>