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
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