Inactivity and deadline pressure are common to this profession. Both salary and advancement for actuaries depend on experience, and on progress through a series of actuarial examinations. Individuals entering the field who have passed the first examination can command significantly higher starting salaries than entry-level applicants with no exam record. Actuaries who start as assistants or associates can move to chief actuary within an insurance company or other organization. Actuaries are mostly confined to their desks but can be asked to travel to meet with clients or to attend meetings.
Actuaries enjoy moderate geographic flexibility.
Employment prospects for actuaries are projected to increase faster than the average, through the next decade. This profession appears to be very stable. Increased demand for statistical calculations and answers to complex insurance problems should keep actuaries in high demand. Actuaries usually work regular hours, but certain projects may call for significant overtime. Because actuaries work with statistical data, constant attention to detail is necessary.