Gabe Lembeck
Position:
Actuary
Employer:
William M. Mercer
Job description:
I am an actuary working
in the pension and health & welfare area. Unlike an insurance actuary,
my job involves more consulting and one-on-one dealing with the client.
With respect to pension plans, I design them, terminate them, and
make sure that all actuarial assumptions are correct, thus preventing
underfunding. My experience with health-care plans at this time is
quite limited, but basically, I help design plans that will meet both
the employer's needs and the employee's needs.
Salary range:
[Jan. 1997] A beginning
actuary starts out making in the mid-$30,000 range, but the salary
can escalate quickly.
[Nov. 1998] Mid-$40,000.
Job satisfaction:
I enjoy the work because
it is a way to apply my mathematical and statistical background into
a business-related field, solving real-world problems, while getting
practice interacting with people in a consulting environment.
Employment history:
Arthur Andersen - June,1996-December,1997
William M. Mercer - January,1998-present
Suggestions for students:
Math majors who know that
they do not want to research or go into teaching can get jobs anywhere.
Many employers will hire a mathematics major over a major in a field
more related to their profession because math majors have an aura
of intelligence and good critical-thinking skills (especially after
taking Ted Shifrin's classes). Find a field that interests you, even
if is only remotely related to mathematics, and pursue opportunities
through other departments at UGA that may be able to give you connections
(for example, I spoke with people in the risk management and insurance
department).
Advisor/Student relationship:
The mathematics major seems
to be biased in favor of people who want a future in research or academia.
This tends to scare people away who do not want a future in academia
or research. I, along with the guidance of Ted Shifrin, was able to
take a good variety of classes, some completely unrelated to my future
job such as topology and algebra, and some very related to my field
such as statistics and numerical analysis. That way, I was able to
get some of everything without thinking that I was not heading towards
a possible career path. The advisers should try to make sure that
the student is taking courses that will help with finding a job while
also improving the student's mathematical base.
E-mail Gabe
Date of last update: Nov. 21, 1998
Back
to Alumni List
|
