i am currently a freshman in my spring semester studying accounting as my major. I can change but i was wondering how hard is it to become a financial manager with an accounting degree? And if actuarys pay more?and what degree would I need to become a actuary? What other math based jobs pay a lot?
Actuary, quantitative finance, engineering, and computer science all use much more advanced math (and often statistics) than accounting.
Which pays more? And what should I major in to be a actuary?
In general, all pay roughly the same range. Accounting major prepares you to be an accountant (or accounting-related corporate job), but little else. Not a whole lot of versatility with the major. And contrary to popular belief, there is little to no advanced math involved in the major or the career.
On average, actuaries do earn more than accountants. The barrier to entry is huge, though. Almost anyone with the desire can become an accountant. Becoming an actuary is a whole different story. You need a math-intensive degree (math, stats, engineering, econ, etc) and passing of at least 1-2 exams before even being hired. Those exams are like nothing you’ve ever imagined, even more difficult than the CPA exam–and there are 10 of them. You will study literally hundreds of hours for each, and still more than half will fail each test (despite being geniuses who aced every test in their lives). If you truly enjoy math, have taken calculus and found it easy, are eager to learn even higher math, and are willing to devote most of your free time for the next 10 years to exam prep, then go for it.
Do you know if their is any alternatives with a actuary science degree in case I am not able to pass the exams?