FACT: 73% of entry-level actuarial employers prefer candidates who know Excel.
How do you make sure your Excel skills meet their expectations?
With tons and tons of future actuaries applying to every entry-level job, it can be tough to stand out from the crowd.
That’s why taking an Excel course is NOT ENOUGH.
It’s what every other candidate will do, and you need to go above and beyond to get noticed by employers.
Watch this video for all the details!
Employers are looking for candidates with proven Excel skills. Ideally, these candidates will have real-life experience with Excel and programming, because that experience PROVES that they can succeed on the job.
After all, finishing a course doesn’t necessarily prove that you can solve real-life work problems in Excel.
So, how can you show employers that your Excel skills are the real deal?
By completing some actuarial projects in Excel!
Investing time and effort into practice projects helps you develop the technical and problem-solving skills that you’ll use every single day in an actuarial job.
So, that brings us to the age-old question…
Where do I find actuarial Excel projects?!
Lots of different websites offer Excel projects. Unfortunately, most of these projects aren’t related to the actuarial field.
I highly recommend finding actuarial projects to practice solving actuarial problems.
Here are a few websites with practice projects and Excel courses that are directly related to the actuarial career.
The Actuary Accelerator Community (AAC)
When you become a member of the Actuary Accelerator Community (AAC), you get access to beginner to advanced Excel lessons and projects made specifically for future actuaries.
You can even learn VBA and Python, two of the most highly recommended programming languages for actuarial roles!
Specifically, you’ll get:
- 11 in-depth Excel video lessons (from beginner to advanced)
- 12 actuarial projects (with solutions)
- 2 VBA training lessons
- A complete Python coding course, including projectsThese projects were specifically crafted to help you get the skills you need for your first entry-level actuarial job.
The Actuary Accelerator Community usually costs $99 per month, but you can use the coupon code EXCEL at checkout here to get your first month totally free! Cancel anytime.
The Infinite Actuary
The Infinite Actuary offers a technical skills course specifically for future actuaries, including Excel and programming video lessons, and a bunch of Excel projects. These projects will help you practice your technical skills in an actuarial context.
This is a good option for students who are looking for a super-comprehensive approach to their career, covering topics like:
- Excel
- VBA
- Microsoft Access
- SQL
- SAS
- RI honestly think that this course covers more than most entry-level actuaries need to know. But if you want to get really in-depth, it’ll give you tons of background info and cover multiple programming languages.
This course is regularly $195, but students receive a discount bringing the price down to $85.
Penn State Actuarial Science Club
This actuarial science club offers several free excel lessons and projects on their website that are designed to help students develop their skills. You can even learn some VBA!
These projects will help you learn Excel shortcuts and sort through lots of data.
This is a free option, so it doesn’t offer as many lessons or projects as the paid options do. But if you’re looking to get started on a budget, this can help!
Wisconsin School of Business
The Wisconsin School of Business offers some free online Excel projects and tutorials. These lessons and practice projects will teach you how to use advanced Excel functions that actuaries are expected to know. Plus, they’ll help you understand actuarial terminology.
This is another free option, so it doesn’t provide the same variety or depth you could find in the paid options, but it’s a great place to start. You can even find practice exam problems there.
Keep in mind that this website doesn’t seem to get regular updates, so exam problems might not be up-to-date and the lessons might use an earlier version of Excel.
Which option to choose??
Each option has its benefits! If you aren’t 100% sure if you want to be an actuary, I recommend trying out the free options first. They can help you decide if this is a career you’d really love before you make an investment.
But if you’re dedicated to becoming an actuary, I recommend investing in a paid option. These options tend to offer more in-depth lessons and projects, and will be updated more regularly.
If you want to learn the most important skills as quickly as possible, I highly recommend joining the Actuary Accelerator Community!
Right now, you can get your first month for free in the Actuary Accelerator Community (AAC) using the coupon code EXCEL. Click here to learn more and join! Cancel anytime.
When you join the AAC, you gain access to tons of resources that will help you become an in-demand candidate for actuarial jobs, like…
- In-depth Excel lessons, from beginner to advanced
- VBA and Python lessons
- A Resume Master Course for future actuaries
- Networking events, plus how to craft a stand-out LinkedIn profile
- Exam P and FM group tutoring sessions
- And WAY MORE!
Still not sure which projects you want to do? Why not try this free sample project?
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