Customer Rating: 
Summary: Best Author, Great Book!
Comment: Contrary to the last reviewer, I found Fred Szabo to be a very good author. Starting with the structure of the book and ending with the chosen style, I rate it as an A plus written book. I strongly believe Fred Szabo to be very skillful in giving both a clear and concise presentation of new and complex material. Immediately from the table of contents one can follow the logical consequence of problems and questions a person would encounter if he or she wanted to become an actuary. Short and full answers can be easily found in this well organized text.
Recently, actuarial jobs have become more and more popular. Good salaries, promising careers attract a lot of youngsters. Not to waste your time and dedicate yourself to a wrong career is very important in everybody's life. This book opens the door to what an actuarial career looks like, answers all standard questions, starting with typical responsibilities and ending with attainable salaries; it also guides the reader towards the right educational choice and explains what makes one a successful actuary. To spend time reading this book is a privileged shortcut to making the right career choice.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Comment: I am a research mathematician who has often wondered what my life would be like today, had I chosen to become an actuary. Now I know. Dr. Szabo's insider profiles of working actuaries are entertaining, informative, and comprehensive. I have enjoyed the accounts of the day-to-day activities of actuaries at their various levels of seniority, and have found it intriguing to learn how some of the underlying mathematical ideas and techniques can be discussed in a book of this type without assuming advanced prior knowledge. I highly recommend this guide to anyone interested in an actuarial career.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Anyone linked to this profession MUST have this book
Comment: As a second year actuarial mathematics student, several questions boggle my mind as to how the actuarial profession really is, what actuaries do exactly, how the SOA tests are, and what to do to achieve all of my actuarial goals. Through this book, I was able to get an answer to all of my questions that were circulating in my head. This book is an essential reference guide to anyone who is in the process of becoming an actuary or who is thinking about the actuarial profession as a future career.
This book includes, in detail, typical questions that any student may have while approaching his/her career. Instead of getting the opinion of only one author, the book delivers the answers of hundreds of present actuaries, giving in specific detail, how they approached their careers and what they did to resolve the common problems that erupt while striving for this challenging career. This book also includes a comprehensive description of each Actuarial exam, so I know what to expect and what to study, to give me the confidence to pass a course on my first attempt. The last few chapters give information about the typical employer and other sources of information for when I graduate from University.
This is one of the most demanding and hard professions present in our world today. How can a person achieve all of their goals if some unanswered questions still boggle the mind? If you are a student thinking about the actuarial profession, or a student already involved in actuarial studies, or even a graduate looking for a job, this book is a MUST to have. I now know what to expect from this profession and where I am headed.
Thank you for answering all of my questions.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fred Szabo Doesn't Deserve To Be Called An Author
Comment: This book is useless. I bought it hoping to learn more about the actuarial profession. I returned it after the first "chapter." Basically the author asks a question and then obtains responses from 40 different people in the industry (students, professors, insurance companies, etc.) It is extremely boring and informative. This is nothing more then the results of a questionare give to a few hundred people. Szabo isn't an author, he's a data entry clerk. SKIP!
Summary: Best Author, Great Book!
Comment: Contrary to the last reviewer, I found Fred Szabo to be a very good author. Starting with the structure of the book and ending with the chosen style, I rate it as an A plus written book. I strongly believe Fred Szabo to be very skillful in giving both a clear and concise presentation of new and complex material. Immediately from the table of contents one can follow the logical consequence of problems and questions a person would encounter if he or she wanted to become an actuary. Short and full answers can be easily found in this well organized text.
Recently, actuarial jobs have become more and more popular. Good salaries, promising careers attract a lot of youngsters. Not to waste your time and dedicate yourself to a wrong career is very important in everybody's life. This book opens the door to what an actuarial career looks like, answers all standard questions, starting with typical responsibilities and ending with attainable salaries; it also guides the reader towards the right educational choice and explains what makes one a successful actuary. To spend time reading this book is a privileged shortcut to making the right career choice.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Comment: I am a research mathematician who has often wondered what my life would be like today, had I chosen to become an actuary. Now I know. Dr. Szabo's insider profiles of working actuaries are entertaining, informative, and comprehensive. I have enjoyed the accounts of the day-to-day activities of actuaries at their various levels of seniority, and have found it intriguing to learn how some of the underlying mathematical ideas and techniques can be discussed in a book of this type without assuming advanced prior knowledge. I highly recommend this guide to anyone interested in an actuarial career.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Anyone linked to this profession MUST have this book
Comment: As a second year actuarial mathematics student, several questions boggle my mind as to how the actuarial profession really is, what actuaries do exactly, how the SOA tests are, and what to do to achieve all of my actuarial goals. Through this book, I was able to get an answer to all of my questions that were circulating in my head. This book is an essential reference guide to anyone who is in the process of becoming an actuary or who is thinking about the actuarial profession as a future career.
This book includes, in detail, typical questions that any student may have while approaching his/her career. Instead of getting the opinion of only one author, the book delivers the answers of hundreds of present actuaries, giving in specific detail, how they approached their careers and what they did to resolve the common problems that erupt while striving for this challenging career. This book also includes a comprehensive description of each Actuarial exam, so I know what to expect and what to study, to give me the confidence to pass a course on my first attempt. The last few chapters give information about the typical employer and other sources of information for when I graduate from University.
This is one of the most demanding and hard professions present in our world today. How can a person achieve all of their goals if some unanswered questions still boggle the mind? If you are a student thinking about the actuarial profession, or a student already involved in actuarial studies, or even a graduate looking for a job, this book is a MUST to have. I now know what to expect from this profession and where I am headed.
Thank you for answering all of my questions.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fred Szabo Doesn't Deserve To Be Called An Author
Comment: This book is useless. I bought it hoping to learn more about the actuarial profession. I returned it after the first "chapter." Basically the author asks a question and then obtains responses from 40 different people in the industry (students, professors, insurance companies, etc.) It is extremely boring and informative. This is nothing more then the results of a questionare give to a few hundred people. Szabo isn't an author, he's a data entry clerk. SKIP!
Actuaries' Survival Guide: How to Succeed in One of the Most Desirable Professions Reviews: Page 2 of 1
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