Planning to go for Actuarial (1 Viewer)

[actuarial2015]

Hi!
I just registered to post this and seek help from fellow members.
I'm planning to enrol in the Actuarial Studies course at UNSW and I'm sure I want to do it. I go to a top 20 ranked school and I'm sure I can make the cutoff but there's one thing holding me back.
When I went to the seminar, they told me that Actuaries should be good at communication and are articulate. The thing is, I'm a very shy and introverted person. I get sweaty when I even talkt o new people. Not only this, I have a thing where I can't talk too clearly unless I speak moderately loud (probably because I mumbe a lot). I think my shyness probably stems from my insecurities throughout primary school (where I didn't really have many friends) and throughout high school about myself and what other people think of me, although high-school has allowed me to express myself a bit, I still get anxious when meeting people at school (like last week when I had a HSC exam, I was more worried about seeing people I haven't seen in a long time than the actual exam.
Does anyone think I should still try to be an Actuary? It sounds like I'm not fit for it.

 

[v1]

You should definitely go for it if you like very quantitative applied mathematics/statistics/probability. As for being shy(im shy but not as shy as u), its ok but you should work on it at university by joining societies etc, otherwise it'll be harder to find an internship/job later.

Also the seminar you went to are probably referring to actuarial consulting, where you have to simplify actuarial/statistical models and explain to unknowledgeable clients. There are many other roles like traditional actuarial work/academic where you don't have to be the best communicator

 

[mreditor16]

At the end of the day, communication skills is going to be something you will need in nearly all professions. Don't let it sway what you choose to do at university, as much as it seems to be affecting your decision. Instead, seek to improve and work on it on an ongoing basis, by joining societies, trying out public speaking competitions (to push yourself?) etc.

 

[zhiying]

Hey kid!

Firstly, there aren't many jobs out there where communication skills isn't important. Secondly, I was also shy throughout primary/secondary, mostly due to coming from ESL background. But uni is a lot of fun and you'll have a lot of opportunities to tackle your shyness, since you'll be meeting a lot of new people. It's gonna be hard but just try to put yourself out there and talk to people around you or join societies. We have an Actuarial Society at UNSW where actuarial students can socialise with each other, amongst other things. People are generally a lot nicer and more mature at uni so that helps a lot too.

Don't let it put you off from doing actuarial studies