MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Aug 12, 2015 15:03:32 GMT -5
where I work, the people in corporate finance here definitely put their hours in during the peak times. During the last acquisition there was tons of takeout and pizza garbage on Monday morning for weeks. Apparently they'd come in early, stay til like 8-9pm AND come in on the weekend.
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Artemis Windsong
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Post by Artemis Windsong on Aug 12, 2015 15:06:02 GMT -5
I love them Wrong answer. You are mean to put in a trick question.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Aug 12, 2015 15:10:28 GMT -5
seriously, though.....I hope everything works out the way you want it to be. It will be interesting... But nothing I cannot handle. I am not sure this is really what I want to do till I am 60... Too many people having heart attacks; I don't want to work so hard and drop dead of a heart attack before I am 55. And I want a life outside of work, not just live to work... And that is hard to do when you are working 60-70hrs a week. and now you understand why I packed up and moved to the Cape.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 12, 2015 15:11:42 GMT -5
It will be interesting... But nothing I cannot handle. I am not sure this is really what I want to do till I am 60... Too many people having heart attacks; I don't want to work so hard and drop dead of a heart attack before I am 55. And I want a life outside of work, not just live to work... And that is hard to do when you are working 60-70hrs a week. and now you understand why I packed up and moved to the Cape. I do ... I do.... And I do!!!! I so envy you right now lol!
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Aug 12, 2015 15:13:41 GMT -5
well.....get on it! and keep us posted
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Aug 12, 2015 15:18:34 GMT -5
I'm at about 90K now and love what I do. I almost never work weekends or evenings. I travel to conferences and meetings 6-8 times a year.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 15:26:15 GMT -5
Any company I have worked at anyone manager level and above is tethered to their company phone and has to deal with occasional issues on weekends.
I did the same thing a few years ago Carl, gave up title/pay for more time to do what I wanted, 4 years later and here I am with another higher level position but have the company phone/headaches again. The temptation will be back at some point to move up again, the only reason I did is because now I have a ten minute instead of an hour commute. Just make sure you really want it if you ever decide to go back to it.
I'm stuck at the airport today waiting on a flight so thanks all for the company.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 15:31:40 GMT -5
I think starting over today I would do pharmacy or nursing. I want a do over too I would start punting at 6 years old, get really good and make the NFL. Talk about the life, kick 5 times a game, make one tackle a season, make a mil each year, sideline viewpoint, if I could only go back.....
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Aug 12, 2015 15:38:10 GMT -5
You might want to pm @athena53. She's a recently retired actuary. Actuaries, from what I understand, are either life insurance actuaries or casualty insurance actuaries. athena53 was the latter. To me, that always sounded more interesting than life insurance. I'm sure she can give you some good practical advice. There are also pension plan actuaries. Most of those work for companies that act as consultants to other companies. It's a great gig if you can get it.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Aug 12, 2015 15:41:18 GMT -5
You might want to pm @athena53. She's a recently retired actuary. Actuaries, from what I understand, are either life insurance actuaries or casualty insurance actuaries. athena53 was the latter. To me, that always sounded more interesting than life insurance. I'm sure she can give you some good practical advice. I did reach out to her and she has provided with a lot of useful information; and as I progress I am hopeful I will keep on reaching out to her. Maybe I should chat with her. I have often thought if I do something else it would be an actuary.
But, then I realize I get 4 weeks vacation/year, pretty much get to come & go as I please, work from home if I like, & I actually like most of my coworkers. Not sure a career change at this time is worth the freedom I would lose.
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Regis
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Post by Regis on Aug 12, 2015 15:54:41 GMT -5
You realize being an actuary is super boring, right? I heard... Any other suggestions? - I want to have weekends off, so that at once I can say TGIF! - I want to be able to leave work at least after 10 hrs. I get it that every job have crazy hours here and there ... But every week!!! - I want to be able to have a life outside of work which goes back to weekends off (that is when my wife and future kids will have off). - celebrate holidays with friends and family instead of having to work Anyway I figure my transition will take 5 years or so (study and pass a few exams first to make sure I want to do this).... Unless you have a better idea! You do realize you're not going to be able to post on YM every ten minutes if you get a job as an actuary, right?
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 12, 2015 15:59:13 GMT -5
I heard... Any other suggestions? - I want to have weekends off, so that at once I can say TGIF! - I want to be able to leave work at least after 10 hrs. I get it that every job have crazy hours here and there ... But every week!!! - I want to be able to have a life outside of work which goes back to weekends off (that is when my wife and future kids will have off). - celebrate holidays with friends and family instead of having to work Anyway I figure my transition will take 5 years or so (study and pass a few exams first to make sure I want to do this).... Unless you have a better idea! You do realize you're not going to be able to post on YM every ten minutes if you get a job as an actuary, right? Got to sacrifice something
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Aug 12, 2015 16:47:29 GMT -5
I'm really confused, like I missed a thread or something. When did Carl get an actuarial science degree?
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Aug 12, 2015 16:54:57 GMT -5
I'm really confused, like I missed a thread or something. When did Carl get an actuarial science degree? I think he has an accounting degree that he wants to turn into an actuarial science degree, hence planning on a 5 year transition period to take classes and pass tests...
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Aug 12, 2015 17:12:29 GMT -5
I'm really confused, like I missed a thread or something. When did Carl get an actuarial science degree? I'm pretty sure you don't need an actuarial science degree. You just need a degree and to have passed some of the tests to get hired at which point you can work towards the rest of the tests. At least that is my recollection from when I looked into it. I would have not considered it if I needed another degree.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Aug 12, 2015 17:33:57 GMT -5
I contacted both HR and my DM today and told them I am stepping down from my position. It was fun, great experience but time to go home. Need to go home and focus on my family and me, take a few classes, study for a few actuary exams to see if that is a what I really want to do, start a family or work on it. They would prefer I not step down and see if they can work something out and I get transferred lateral move. I will no 1 week from Monday on my final date here and next assignment. Time for the next chapter! Oh. I thought you were going home to Haiti.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on Aug 12, 2015 17:41:31 GMT -5
Good Luck!
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 12, 2015 17:41:47 GMT -5
I'm really confused, like I missed a thread or something. When did Carl get an actuarial science degree? I'm pretty sure you don't need an actuarial science degree. You just need a degree and to have passed some of the tests to get hired at which point you can work towards the rest of the tests. At least that is my recollection from when I looked into it. I would have not considered it if I needed another degree. I think most people go into it with an Applied Math or Statistics degree.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Aug 12, 2015 17:47:26 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure you don't need an actuarial science degree. You just need a degree and to have passed some of the tests to get hired at which point you can work towards the rest of the tests. At least that is my recollection from when I looked into it. I would have not considered it if I needed another degree. I think most people go into it with an Applied Math or Statistics degree. Ok, I guess I wasn't aware he had the appropriate degree(s) to pursue this. And quite frankly, hopefully this isn't rude, but I never though Carl was a big math person? I thought most people going into actuarial science had to pass linear algebra, advanced calculus, etc. The other people in my advanced level math classes besides physicists were always people going into actuarial science (maybe via a math degree?). I'm totally supportive, I'm just very surprised by the announcement. He's been talking about kids and cars and fences and babies but this is a new one.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Aug 12, 2015 17:48:43 GMT -5
WVU, aren't you in the pubilc sector, not private? I am. I would expect private sector to get paid even more so it balances out. I have worked in private sector and the only people I knew attached to their Blackberries were making $200k+ a year. My aunt is a VP of comp & benefits for a publicly traded company. She has her busy time but outside of that she has weekends off and a good work life balance. There are people in the healthcare industry attached to their Blackberries and my guess is some of them may only make $30 to $50K/yr. at best. Of course the hope is one gets promoted for giving up personal time for work, but that does not always pay off.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Aug 12, 2015 17:49:07 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure you don't need an actuarial science degree. You just need a degree and to have passed some of the tests to get hired at which point you can work towards the rest of the tests. At least that is my recollection from when I looked into it. I would have not considered it if I needed another degree. I think most people go into it with an Applied Math or Statistics degree. Maybe I figured I could get by with my civil engineering degree & minor in math. Maybe that wouldn't fly, IDK. I never really seriously looked into it. I realized I can't possibly consider a new job until my kids are older.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 12, 2015 17:49:15 GMT -5
I think most people go into it with an Applied Math or Statistics degree. Ok, I guess I wasn't aware he had the appropriate degree(s) to pursue this. And quite frankly, hopefully this isn't rude, but I never though Carl was a big math person? I thought most people going into actuarial science had to pass linear algebra, advanced calculus, etc. The other people in my advanced level math classes besides physicists were always people going into actuarial science (maybe via a math degree?). I'm totally supportive, I'm just very surprised by the announcement. He's been talking about kids and cars and fences and babies but this is a new one. I don't believe he has a math degree.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Aug 12, 2015 17:50:36 GMT -5
I think most people go into it with an Applied Math or Statistics degree. Ok, I guess I wasn't aware he had the appropriate degree(s) to pursue this. And quite frankly, hopefully this isn't rude, but I never though Carl was a big math person? I thought most people going into actuarial science had to pass linear algebra, advanced calculus, etc. The other people in my advanced level math classes besides physicists were always people going into actuarial science (maybe via a math degree?). I'm totally supportive, I'm just very surprised by the announcement. He's been talking about kids and cars and fences and babies but this is a new one. It will be a huge change. I always pictured Carl up & about wandering around the store doing stuff. That is very different than sitting at a computer 35-50 hours/wk.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 12, 2015 17:51:10 GMT -5
I think most people go into it with an Applied Math or Statistics degree. Maybe I figured I could get by with my civil engineering degree & minor in math. Maybe that wouldn't fly, IDK. I never really seriously looked into it. I realized I can't possibly consider a new job until my kids are older. I haven't taken the tests but it was a route I considered, as I majored in Applied Math. I'm sure an engineering degree and math minor would help immensely but I'm guessing you'd need more on stats and probability a few tests in.
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lurkyloo
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Post by lurkyloo on Aug 12, 2015 17:55:38 GMT -5
I will add though that if money is important to you no one gets paid $100K a year and gets to work under 50 hours a week and doesn't get bothered on the weekends. I guess pharmacists maybe but then you need what amounts to a doctorate and are still back in retail. *raises hand* I work 40 hours a week and make six figures. I do have a doctorate but my interactions with customers are minimal and other scientists are much less annoying than the general public as customers. DH (also a PhD) makes 2-3x what I do and I won't let him work more than 50 hours a week either
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Aug 12, 2015 17:58:28 GMT -5
Wow your company must be way different than my PT one. At that one it seems like the lower you are the more stress you have not the other way around. Worker bees get shit on the most and generally work 5-6 days a week but only work under 40 hours. It involves a lot of being called on your day off and then getting bitched at because something beyond your control happened. And the dept mgr passes what they have downhill to them because they got it from above. Dept mgrs get shit on by the stores co manager because they always want them to do more with less hours and no help and by the way it has to look like it came out of a mag shoot for grocery stores. They also get some pushed up from below because those people are frustrated and stressed also Co mgrs seem the most stressed. It reminds me a little bit of good cop and bad cop. The store director is the good cop and the co mgr is the bad cop. So they get shit on because everything is their responsiblility and basically get to be the bad guy of reaming out all the people down hill to make sure things get done even if they really can't. So the co mgr probably works 70 plus hours a week doing whatever couldn't be done when the regular people were on the clock. The store director actually seems the least stressed. He does do what I would call blue collar work but he also gets the good money. District mgrs seem positively happy in comparison. So maybe what you need is to instead of getting out, move up? I will add though that if money is important to you no one gets paid $100K a year and gets to work under 50 hours a week and doesn't get bothered on the weekends. I guess pharmacists maybe but then you need what amounts to a doctorate and are still back in retail. Whatever you do good luck! I'm at $90k now. If I put in more than 40, I get comp time. I do things at times on my day off or stay late but in no way does it come close to what Carl is talking about. I think Beach was only talking about grocery stores, but I could be wrong. There are many jobs that can make good money, but it is very unwise to assume this will continue until retirement. The world has changed. I understand where Carl is coming from, but had he asked, I would have said wait until the end of September and see if you feel the same way. It is hot, the days are long, and people are stupid/stressed. The fact he is staying with the company for now is in his favor, but I do not expect he will get so lucky with the promotion trail in the future.
I hope you and Mrs. Carl are able to downscale your wants and be ready if either of you loses their jobs. Good luck, and yes I do think this was not the right decision, at least now. I am hanging on where I am because it is borderline insane and I expect things to improve once the new building opens up. If you had hung on, you might have gotten the store you wanted, close to home, with the salary to match. I do hope it works out the way you want it to. It is my bias and experience thinking November/October would have been wiser.
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emma1420
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Post by emma1420 on Aug 12, 2015 18:38:09 GMT -5
I am. I would expect private sector to get paid even more so it balances out. I have worked in private sector and the only people I knew attached to their Blackberries were making $200k+ a year. My aunt is a VP of comp & benefits for a publicly traded company. She has her busy time but outside of that she has weekends off and a good work life balance. There are people in the healthcare industry attached to their Blackberries and my guess is some of them may only make $30 to $50K/yr. at best. Of course the hope is one gets promoted for giving up personal time for work, but that does not always pay off. Most people I work with make less than 75K (including myself) and we are all tied to our smart phones. I answer email in the evenings and weekends, as do my co-workers. I think for many industries it's just a fact of life. Personally, I find it less stressful to answer critical emails in the evenings or weekends. Then I know it's taken care of, and I don't have to worry about following up the next business day.
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chen35
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Post by chen35 on Aug 12, 2015 18:52:48 GMT -5
WVU, aren't you in the pubilc sector, not private? I am. I would expect private sector to get paid even more so it balances out. I have worked in private sector and the only people I knew attached to their Blackberries were making $200k+ a year. My aunt is a VP of comp & benefits for a publicly traded company. She has her busy time but outside of that she has weekends off and a good work life balance. I'm in the same boat. I probably average 50 hours a week, and I work exactly 4 Saturdays a year. I don't check email on weekends.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 18:53:59 GMT -5
You realize being an actuary is super boring, right? Lemme see... which part of my 38-year actuarial career was boring? -always getting to be first to try new software -digging into a bunch of new data and finding interesting things -working with very smart people, most of whom love what they do -being in the mainstream of the corporation -traveling to Brussels, London, Bangalore, Delhi, Zurich and Munich on the company dime -figuring out how to invest the $$ I don't need for day-to-day expenses -going to actuarial meetings in NYC, Boca Raton, San Diego, Vegas, Orlando (as well as more pedestrian but interesting places like Chicago and Toronto) on the company dime?
Seriously, good luck, Carl. (And yes, we have exchanged PMs.) It will get worse before it gets better- you really have to pay your dues studying for exams. Milton Freidman noted in his memoir that he tries the actuarial career path and gave up on the exams.
To those of you who are wondering about what educational credentials are needed- I've worked with plenty of actuaries who had degrees on Engineering, Physics and other STEM-type majors. It definitely does not have to be Actuarial Science although you usually pass a few exams while getting an Act. Sci. degree and that sure helps.
Pension actuarial work is dying out for obvious reasons but property-casualty and life and health are still good fields.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Aug 12, 2015 19:02:17 GMT -5
I'm in healthcare and I seldom work nights and weekends. My immediate supervisor is out on disability so I've been working more hours than usual, but not usually much in excess of 60 hours. I'm currently at a conference and had to work all afternoon to put out some fires that couldn't wait until I get back in the office. Meanwhile I'm missing some incredible speakers and seminars.
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