What is an Actuary, Anyway?
By Chris Lemming, ASA, MAAA of Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield I may be the only person in the actuarial profession who decided as a sophomore in high school to try and become an actuary. At the time, I was trying to find a career that would make use of my talent for and interest in math. One of my teachers knew a little bit about actuaries and suggested I look into it. Since most of the people who offered me career advice suggested engineering, I didnt have much else to go on, and I figured it was worth a shot to find out what an actuary does. There were several things about being an actuary that appealed to me as a 16 year old trying to choose a career. It pays well. Success is linked to an exam process, and Id always had good success with exams. I could get a degree by taking math classes, which had always been my favorite classes. Actuaries were well respected. And I liked the idea of having a unique answer when asked what I wanted to do for a living. So unlike most actuaries, I sp
