UNSW Actuary vs Commerce Co-op? (1 Viewer)

[k1ngcart1]

Hey guys,
i was just curious about the outcomes of the actuary and commerce co-op programs at unsw. currently leading towards applying to actuarial co-op but I do like the commerce sponsors better and so how does each have its advantages and disadvantages? also on a side note, would you argue the actuarial co-op is better than actuarial + compsci in terms of future work placements and the overall gist of the program?

Big cheers.

 

[k1ngcart1]

theres too many people currently getting actuary degrees, and jobs will be limited soon, especially due to AI
imo choose commerce. sponsers are a big part of the program, and you develop connections with them that can lead into futher employment after uni. so having sponsors you like is important. commerce is also more broad, and you enables you to choose a few different career paths, so ur not locked in

I heard commerce market is rlly saturated right now too? It's interesting since I have actuary co-op first, then act+cs second then comm+cs third in uni preferences right now. 4 and 5 are both eco degrees but I don't think it'll to that stage. any ideas for 4 and 5 and the order?

 

[k1ngcart1]

cheers, i've always leaned towards actuarial but I'll take your words into consideration. just on a tangent, would you argue the co-op is more valuable than double degree with cs or no?

 

[scaryshark09]

cheers, i've always leaned towards actuarial but I'll take your words into consideration. just on a tangent, would you argue the co-op is more valuable than double degree with cs or no?

yes, in my opinion co-op is more valuable

 

[scaryshark09]

actuarial studies can be really good, but it only suits a very niche selection of people
lots of people go into actuarial becuase they like math and it pays well
but to succeed, you need a solid business and economics background, and effective communication skills, in order to convey your complex findings to those within the business.
on second thought, this may suit you well, but do some more research

 

[k1ngcart1]

actuarial studies can be really good, but it only suits a very niche selection of people
lots of people go into actuarial becuase they like math and it pays well
but to succeed, you need a solid business and economics background, and effective communication skills, in order to convey your complex findings to those within the business.
on second thought, this may suit you well, but do some more research

I've always aligned myself more with actuarial science since I've basically been interested in eco and math for a lot of my life. I did consider commerce but really lost interest in the law and business aspect of it. I've read a lot of BoS and Reddit pages only to find conflicting posts but I found myself particularly intrigued about how you can summer internship with a double degree whilst you're stuck during a co-op. Any further insight?

 

[liamkk112]

i think acturial is a pretty broad career, ur job can range from just sitting on excel all day and focusing on the businessy aspect of things, to getting into a heavier programming side of things and having somewhat less focus on the business aspect. i’ve also heard that the acturial exams are decently high level math, only for jobs to barely use it, lol. just something to keep in mind, i wouldn’t be picking acturial if u only really like math and aren’t into the business side of things, i’d consider it a business degree rather than a math oriented degree (after all it is the business school that offers acturial). yes u need to interpret numbers but ultimately actuaries are there to relate those numbers back to business concepts and inform a business of their risk in different industries which you need to be deeply knowledgeable of.

one thing u can always do is study a different degree, then take the acturial exams later yourself if you really want to get into it (u do have to pay upfront though). this way you could study eco/math as a degree and then if u still want to be an actuary, u can become one. this is obviously a slightly more lengthy pathway but it is more flexible. though im not sure that eco co -op exists if u want that.

 

[k1ngcart1]

i think acturial is a pretty broad career, ur job can range from just sitting on excel all day and focusing on the businessy aspect of things, to getting into a heavier programming side of things and having somewhat less focus on the business aspect. i’ve also heard that the acturial exams are decently high level math, only for jobs to barely use it, lol. just something to keep in mind, i wouldn’t be picking acturial if u only really like math and aren’t into the business side of things, i’d consider it a business degree rather than a math oriented degree (after all it is the business school that offers acturial). yes u need to interpret numbers but ultimately actuaries are there to relate those numbers back to business concepts and inform a business of their risk in different industries which you need to be deeply knowledgeable of.

one thing u can always do is study a different degree, then take the acturial exams later yourself if you really want to get into it (u do have to pay upfront though). this way you could study eco/math as a degree and then if u still want to be an actuary, u can become one. this is obviously a slightly more lengthy pathway but it is more flexible. though im not sure that eco co -op exists if u want that.

cheers for the insight. Now basically stuck betwen actl and comm co op for 1/2 in preferences. Heard both degrees get you nowhere from different people so I’m stuck. Double actl is 3, double comm 4, double eco 5 rn

 

[idkkdi]

finance and banking coop is probably better and more competitive than actuarial coop which is also quite competitive

 

[scaryshark09]

cheers for the insight. Now basically stuck betwen actl and comm co op for 1/2 in preferences. Heard both degrees get you nowhere from different people so I’m stuck. Double actl is 3, double comm 4, double eco 5 rn

both are good
keep in mind actuarial co-op is the hardest co-op to get into since they have such a large candidature and only around 10 positions each year.
last year i made it to interview which already knocked out 80% of people, and there was still around 60-80 people left for the interview.
you dont wanna put all ur effort into actuary, just to not get co-op.
on your co-op application i would focus equally on commerce and actuarial / not make it too niche, so that you hopefully can get an interview for both degrees.

 

[temporarylol]

finance and banking coop is probably better and more competitive than actuarial coop which is also quite competitive

do you do co-op btw?

 

[k1ngcart1]

finance and banking coop is probably better and more competitive than actuarial coop which is also quite competitive

finance coop is the commerce honours degree right?

 

[k1ngcart1]

both are good
keep in mind actuarial co-op is the hardest co-op to get into since they have such a large candidature and only around 10 positions each year.
last year i made it to interview which already knocked out 80% of people, and there was still around 60-80 people left for the interview.
you dont wanna put all ur effort into actuary, just to not get co-op.
on your co-op application i would focus equally on commerce and actuarial / not make it too niche, so that you hopefully can get an interview for both degrees.

thinking about finance coop (it’s the commerce honours right) first then actuarial rn. I have decent marks rn just need to build a profile

 

[jonolad69]

thinking about finance coop (it’s the commerce honours right) first then actuarial rn. I have decent marks rn just need to build a profile

bit late for allat

 

[k1ngcart1]

bit late for allat

ik hopefully academics and SAP got me. Never expected to get a co op but no harm in trying right

 

[temporarylol]

ik hopefully academics and SAP got me. Never expected to get a co op but no harm in trying right

sap?

 

[k1ngcart1]

school assessment page. gotta ask a teacher to fill out some forms

 

[liamkk112]

cheers for the insight. Now basically stuck betwen actl and comm co op for 1/2 in preferences. Heard both degrees get you nowhere from different people so I’m stuck. Double actl is 3, double comm 4, double eco 5 rn

i don't think acturial or commerce co-op would get you nowhere, not sure what the reasoning would be for people saying that. both would offer u plenty of opportunities, at least a similar amount as actl/comm in a double

 

[k1ngcart1]

i don't think acturial or commerce co-op would get you nowhere, not sure what the reasoning would be for people saying that. both would offer u plenty of opportunities, at least a similar amount as actl/comm in a double

Is the finance co op the comm honour one?

 

[liamkk112]

Is the finance co op the comm honour one?

finance co op is its own thing, but in a regular commerce degree finance is a major ye