Want to land an actuarial internship and set yourself up for career success? Learn key lessons from Coaching Actuaries' former interns—now successful actuaries—on passing exams, networking, and building essential soft skills.
Since this article was first published, the interns we interviewed have made impressive strides in their actuarial careers. Here’s where they are now:
- Austin is a coach and actuarial content specialist at Coaching Actuaries.
- Derek is a video instructor for our Exam PA course and an associate actuary at American Equity in Des Moines.
- Parker is a video instructor for Coaching Actuaries' Exam PA course and consulting actuary at Milliman in Chicago.
- Riley is an associate actuary at F&G in Des Moines.
Their professional success speaks for itself. These former interns put the insights in this article into action!
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If you’re a college student pursuing actuarial science, you probably have two key goals: passing exams and securing internships. Both are essential in distinguishing yourself when pursuing your first actuarial job.
We asked our current interns at Coaching Actuaries what they’ve learned about the exam process and the importance of internship experience. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Pass 2–3 Exams Before Graduation
Most actuarial science graduates enter the job market having passed at least one exam. However, to stand out, passing two exams (usually P and FM) gets your foot in the door. Passing a third exam can make a huge difference.
“Passing your second exam shows you’re really committed to pursuing a career in actuarial science,” says Parker, who just finished his internship and now works at Milliman’s Chicago office.
“But passing a third exam shows that you move at a faster pace and you’re willing to work pretty hard," Parker continues. "Beyond three exams is just icing on the cake at that point. After that, your qualitative skills matter a lot more than just having a lot of exams.”
2. Develop Your Soft Skills
Communication and the ability to relate to others are essential—not just for actuaries, but for professionals across the business world. Strong soft skills and the ability to communicate ideas clearly can leave a stronger impression on recruiters than simply passing exams.
“By the time you get the interview, your resume has been looked at, and everyone knows you can do all the technical things,” says Austin. “They’re just trying to figure out if they can stand being around you every single day.”
3. Build Relationships
We all know networking is important, but how do you actually do it? Here are some of our interns’ stories about how they landed their internships—whether with Coaching Actuaries or other companies.
- Derek: “Speak up in class. I was in [our president Tong Khon Teh's] class at Drake University, and I would participate in discussions regularly. One day, I got an email from Tong asking if I wanted to work at Coaching Actuaries.”
- Austin: “Sometimes you just have to ask. I was searching for internships and knew Tong worked at Coaching Actuaries. So I simply asked him if Coaching Actuaries ever had interns—not even knowing if there was an opportunity available.”
- Riley: “Your friends can help, too. I had a great friend working here (Austin!), and when Tong asked him if he knew anyone interested in an internship, I couldn’t pass that up.”
- Parker: “Go to career fairs and build relationships over time. Whenever company recruiters came to campus, I made sure to talk to them and learn about what they did. You gain a better understanding of their work and whether you’d be a good fit. Plus, it’s often the same recruiter each year, so you build a relationship with them over time.”
4. Embrace Key Lessons
Every successful person has their own story of how they got where they are. But some lessons are universal:
- Understand the work.
- Look beyond the details to see the big picture.
- Communicate your ideas clearly.
If you can do these things, you’ll stand out—not just in the job market, but throughout your entire career.