- #1
member 428835
hey pf!
the title pretty much sums up my question: what are the differences between actuarial work and engineering? if you have experience OUTSIDE of academics, please share your insight, as i'd really appreciate it.
my brief background: i have a double major in mathematics and economics. 3.77 gpa. have been tutoring math for 3 years. recently have been excepted into a master's program for mechanical engineering starting this fall.
friends and family ask me why i want to be an engineer. i tell them i don't actually know what a practical mechanical engineer does but i love the physics/math of it. hopefully, if the field is similar, i'll like that too.
however, recently actuarial work has caught my eye. i love studying new material, and with all the actuarial exams it seems studying is common (a huge plus). it seems the analytical side stays, at least in a mathematical construct. from the engineers I've talked to, it seems formal math/physics is pretty much gone in the real world. one senior boeing engineer said "school is mainly a right of passage".
can anyone who practices let me know about either or? I'm planning on job-shadowing an actuary. however, is it even worth shadowing an ME since it seems their jobs are so drastically different?
thanks!
the title pretty much sums up my question: what are the differences between actuarial work and engineering? if you have experience OUTSIDE of academics, please share your insight, as i'd really appreciate it.
my brief background: i have a double major in mathematics and economics. 3.77 gpa. have been tutoring math for 3 years. recently have been excepted into a master's program for mechanical engineering starting this fall.
friends and family ask me why i want to be an engineer. i tell them i don't actually know what a practical mechanical engineer does but i love the physics/math of it. hopefully, if the field is similar, i'll like that too.
however, recently actuarial work has caught my eye. i love studying new material, and with all the actuarial exams it seems studying is common (a huge plus). it seems the analytical side stays, at least in a mathematical construct. from the engineers I've talked to, it seems formal math/physics is pretty much gone in the real world. one senior boeing engineer said "school is mainly a right of passage".
can anyone who practices let me know about either or? I'm planning on job-shadowing an actuary. however, is it even worth shadowing an ME since it seems their jobs are so drastically different?
thanks!