Dentistry vs Actuary (1 Viewer)

[marcusibby]

Yes, its another one of those posts. Tossing up between Economics/Actl Studies at UNSW and Dentistry at La Trobe, Bendigo. I live in Sydney and achieved an ATAR of 99.50. I was a maths and science type person but also did well in and enjoyed economics. Ive given this a lot of thought throughout the year and what attracts me to both careers is (yes) the potential salary, the working hours and conditions and the type of work done. Im having a tough time making a decision and what's mainly going tk tip me over is the job satisfaction and time spent studying (the professional exams for actuaries are notoriously hard).

Id appreciate it if people didnt use platitudes such as "Do what you like/interests you", "You're comparing vastly different fields" and "How can you expect us to choose a career for you". Id just like some insight into what both Actuaries and Dentists (and people who know them) are saying about their career, and which one will provide the best quality of life in the long run.

I think its many boiling down to the relative difficulty of actuarial studies vs the potential dullness of dentistry. Also, I would have to move if I were to do Dent and my family isnt in the best situation financially

 

[Squar3root]

they're both boring

if you're looking for someone to tell you what to do them imo Actuary

 

[Kiraken]

I heard (someone in the field should probs confirm if legit or ot) that finding a job as an actuary nowadays is insanely difficult. If that's the case, it will be even more difficult by the time u graduate

 

[emilios]

I heard (someone in the field should probs confirm if legit or ot) that finding a job as an actuary nowadays is insanely difficult. If that's the case, it will be even more difficult by the time u graduate

really? ive mostly heard the opposite

 

[faisalabdul16]

I heard (someone in the field should probs confirm if legit or ot) that finding a job as an actuary nowadays is insanely difficult. If that's the case, it will be even more difficult by the time u graduate

I thought it was easy...

really? ive mostly heard the opposite

Same!

 

[omni16]

I think a big factor of obtaining a job in actuarial is marks more than any other commerce related field. You really need that distinction average MINIMUM to have a shot at landing an actuarial role, which could explain why many people who do actuarial studies don't end up landing a graduate role immediately after uni.

 

[Crisium]

Do what you like/interests you

 

[walking_travesty]

some insight into what both Actuaries and Dentists (and people who know them) are saying about their career, and which one will provide the best quality of life in the long run.

I think its many boiling down to the relative difficulty of actuarial studies vs the potential dullness of dentistry.

Wow okay - first off, congrats on the amazing ATAR You're quite different from me because Economics makes me want to punch myself... but then again, so do the rest of my subjects.

My cousin married an Actuary and he's earning amazing money and getting his life together even though he's in his mid-20s. He loves his job and is good at what he does, and he did Ecos, 4unit maths, physics and chemistry and all that in school. I suppose if you're good at what you do and enjoy problem solving and manipulating factors, actuarial may be the thing for you. Because actuarial is literally Maths and Economics, I'd say you'd find that more interesting if you've already looked into Dentistry and have found the course/work dull. Have you done any work experience in the field to know what the demands are like? How much research have you done in either industry? From what I hear, Actuarial has a lot of job openings, but I'm not certain about it or Dentistry. More research would help

How do you feel about working with people? I mean, I'm sure actuaries work less with people than dentists. If you don't really like dealing with people that much I'd say go for actuarial. But then again, as a dentist you can learn all sorts of different things whilst interacting with patients. Dentistry also opens you up for expanding career path - a relative of mine started off in dentistry before branching into oral-facial surgery, and plastics. So I guess it depends again on where your interests lie, or if you can see yourself doing the same job for the rest of your life (well, that could be just me since I can see myself doing the same job for the rest of my life. But anyway.)

Good luck and hope I've helped =]

 

[OzKo]

Wow okay - first off, congrats on the amazing ATAR You're quite different from me because Economics makes me want to punch myself... but then again, so do the rest of my subjects.

My cousin married an Actuary and he's earning amazing money and getting his life together even though he's in his mid-20s. He loves his job and is good at what he does, and he did Ecos, 4unit maths, physics and chemistry and all that in school. I suppose if you're good at what you do and enjoy problem solving and manipulating factors, actuarial may be the thing for you. Because actuarial is literally Maths and Economics, I'd say you'd find that more interesting if you've already looked into Dentistry and have found the course/work dull. Have you done any work experience in the field to know what the demands are like? How much research have you done in either industry? From what I hear, Actuarial has a lot of job openings, but I'm not certain about it or Dentistry. More research would help

How do you feel about working with people? I mean, I'm sure actuaries work less with people than dentists. If you don't really like dealing with people that much I'd say go for actuarial. But then again, as a dentist you can learn all sorts of different things whilst interacting with patients. Dentistry also opens you up for expanding career path - a relative of mine started off in dentistry before branching into oral-facial surgery, and plastics. So I guess it depends again on where your interests lie, or if you can see yourself doing the same job for the rest of your life (well, that could be just me since I can see myself doing the same job for the rest of my life. But anyway.)

Good luck and hope I've helped =]

I disagree.

As a dentist, you are primarily working with a small team but communication with your clients is often one-way. In other words, you identify the problem, solve the problem, and advise the client. In these situations, you have that level of control.

As an actuary, or any other analytical role, you would be required to conduct analyses but also communicate the results of your projects to your team, and your superiors. One of the things which students tend to underrate is the amount of communication required in these types of roles. In reality, if you are unable to excel in these team-based environment, much of your work goes to waste. You have to be more convincing in these roles compared to being a dentist, because you're not granted that assumed authority.

Also keep in mind that an actuary will work in a much larger organisation so you will be working with more people internally and externally.

 

[RivalryofTroll]

Do whatever interests you more is seriously the best advice here.

If we wanted to look at both degrees from an objective point of view.

Dentistry graduates have one of the highest starting median salaries, if not the highest, according to graduate salary statistics.

In the long run, both actuaries and dentists earn potentially 'attractive' salaries.

In terms of money and working hours, I'd say dentistry graduates are probably better off than actuarial studies graduates. You've probably heard that actuaries tend to work for quite long hours. If you're looking for "quality of life", dentistry seems better IF you are equally inclined to do both (because interest is the most important factor in keeping your sanity).

Also, there's probably more pressure to achieve higher tertiary marks/grades in Actuarial Studies than in Dentistry (it's like the Law versus Medicine debate that people may have).

Note - I'm probably making quite a few assumptions here.

Most people in your situation would actually choose the combined Actuarial Studies degree in the end because they don't want to move. If you're willing to move and your parents support you, then that's a different story. Consider your financial situation carefully.

Summing up - The statistics would back up Dentistry but then again, statistics don't always tell the whole story.

 

[zara1200]

they're both boring

if you're looking for someone to tell you what to do them imo Actuary

How these both are boring?