<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I'm stuck between two options for my major/minor. I'm pretty sure I want to major in Math, but my school has sub-plans that I want to be part of my major. Pretty much, the options I'm debating between are:</p>
<p>Option 1) Major: Math w/Actuarial Science, Minor: Computer Science
Option 2) Major: Math w/Computer Applications, Minor: Economics</p>
<p>Pretty much, I want to have more opportunities getting a job related to math. The thing is, I don't know much about actuarial science at all, but I do enjoy mathematics and economics, so it seems like something I would probably like. If I did option 2, would I have trouble getting a job in actuarial science if that was something I was interested in? I would still be able/have to take those actuarial tests, right? </p>
<p>I do like computer science as well from what I know about it; would employers prefer a CS major or option 2?</p>
<p>There doesn't seem to be a huge difference between the two options to me, but the classes I need to take are dependent on which path I decide to take.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Why should you have trouble with actuarial job positions? If you’re looking at jobs in the finance industry, accounting, taxes, etc. option two would fit the best. Unless option two includes classes that are somehow unrelated to what you want to do, I would stick with that. If yes, then option one would probably “look” better.</p>
@econcalc - thanks for the advice. I’m just wondering if it’s sufficient to have Option 2 to get a job in Actuarial Science or if employers are looking for people who major in Actuarial Science. Would I get any noticeable advantage in getting an Actuarial Science job if I did Option 1 vs. Option 2? I just kind of want to keep my options as open as possible in terms of jobs.
http://www.beanactuary.com can help you with what actuarial work is like and what preparation in college to do (note the list of VEE courses for your school).
Getting Actuarial jobs aren’t based on what major or minor you completed in college. Instead, they look at how many of the actuarial exams you have passed. Obviously, it helps to take those finance courses to help with the exams but I think getting more of those classes in comp sci would help you out more in the long term as you have more of the computer related knowledge heading into the field. This only holds true if you are completing courses related to economics and/or help you in taking your exams (which they should considering you’re minoring in them in option 2)
It’s vital to have at least one, preferably two, exams passed by the time you graduate college. I talked to a current actuary and he said that as soon as he passed his first exam, he was offered a job (he was a junior in college)