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posted by martyb on Wednesday September 12 2018, @12:46PM   Printer-friendly
from the buy-the-numbers dept.

Actuarial science, the formal term for the study of insurance, was ranked the most valuable college major, according to a Bankrate.com report released on Monday. Actuarial science majors earn an average annual salary of $108,658 and have a better-than-average unemployment rate at 2.3 percent. And at a time when student debt is at a record high, these graduates are less likely to incur the added expense of additional schooling and delayed earning potential. Less than 1 in 4 graduates pursue advanced degrees.

"The actuarial science profession is interesting because students don't need advanced degrees to gain livable wages, but instead are certified through a series of exams overseen by the industry's professional organizations," said Bankrate.com analyst Adrian Garcia in an interview. "Students typically pass one to two of these exams while in school and then go on and complete others while working, earning raises and bonuses as they pass."

The study ranked 162 majors with labor forces of at least 15,000 people based on average annual income, employment status and whether those graduates went on to pursue a higher degree within 12 months. Income accounted for 70 percent of the weighted ranking, unemployment for 20 percent and 10 percent was awarded to career paths that did not demand additional education. The data was derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2016 American Community Survey.

Source: Bloomberg News


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  • (Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Wednesday September 12 2018, @04:18PM (2 children)

    by bobthecimmerian (6834) on Wednesday September 12 2018, @04:18PM (#733682)

    I think an important thing to remember is that we should be working to live, not living to work. As long as being an actuary doesn't actively make you want to hang yourself, it's a fine choice. Put in your 20 or 25 years and then retire and spend 100% of your time on things you do care about.

    Don't forget, tens of millions of people work jobs they hate just to pay the bills, and earn shit pay, and their only retirement is getting too old or sick to continue.

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  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 13 2018, @02:48AM (1 child)

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 13 2018, @02:48AM (#733975) Journal

    I think an important thing to remember is that we should be working to live, not living to work.

    Unless, of course, you want to do that.

    • (Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Friday September 14 2018, @02:14AM

      by bobthecimmerian (6834) on Friday September 14 2018, @02:14AM (#734656)

      If someone can find a job that makes them happy to go to work each day, that's genuinely awesome and I wish them well. But it's absurd to think most people can do that. Most of us can't, and we're only causing ourselves anxiety and disappointment seeking something that doesn't exist. The best we can do is find something we don't hate that pays the bills.