yoyo100 said:
Are there any actuaries on this forum? If so, can you tell us a little bit about your background and about how you got into the actuarial profession. I am seriously considering pursuing a career as an actuary, but I would like to learn more about the job and what kind of people like it.
Have you read through the actuarial outpost FAQ thread I posted earlier here? It is invaluable to someone considering the profession.
I'm an actuary (well, actuarial analyst is more accurate, which denotes that I'm early in my career). My background is a BS and MS in physics, with a couple of years experience working for a private company doing research.
I got into the actuarial profession by taking Exam FM and contacting a recruiter. I've had my job for less than a year now, and have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. This is the most satisfied I've ever been with my career, though there is still plenty of time for that to change ;)
As for what kind of people are actuaries, well first and foremost, you need to understand (as I've mentioned earlier in the thread) that actuaries are business people first and anything else (statisticians, mathematicians, researchers etc.) second. The culture in an actuarial department is very different from, say, the sales department, but it is also different from a university or private research department.
I also have some bad news - it is currently very hard to get an entry level job as an actuary. There is still a shortage of credentialed actuaries, but firms just aren't hiring new entry level people. It's always been a bit harder to break into the career than it is made to sound, and the economy has exacerbated that. However, if you are still a year or more from looking for a job, things could be very different by the time you do.
To be honest, the question of what kind of people are actuaries is hard to answer. If you can narrow it down any, or have other specific questions, I'd be happy to help.