On Facebook, the CAS is rightfully touting the actuarial professional’s No. 11 finish in Money magazine’s annual ranking of best professions. Huzzah! Software architect was No. 1, followed by physician’s assistant.
Don’t know why Money ranked the professions as it does, but years ago I spoke to a Money magazine reporter about the ‘best places to live’ articles the mag writes every year. The reporter said Money took the same database and resorted along different criteria every year.
So if the editors thought proximity to higher education was important, they’d sort on that and – voila! – Austin, Texas, here we come. If low home values and low crime were important, just re-sort and – presto! – we’re moving to Des Moines.
I’d imagine they do the same thing with the jobs survey, which would explain why actuaries are No. 11 this year, but last year didn’t get in the top 50. I mean, the job didn’t get a lot better all of a sudden.
Details on the career are here. Most of it looks fairly accurate, though the salaries top out a lot higher than $222,000, especially if you include bonus. I also note it rates average in stress, which is interesting because it used to be considered a low-stress career.
Actuarial Opinions 