Is it a good idea to swith to Actuary field?

[Yayama]

Hi,

I was just laid off from my last position as a computer enginner. I am seriously considering a career shift to the actuary field.

I have master in computer engineering, and while working at my last employer, I finished MBA part time at a local school.

I would like to find a career that I would enjoy more than the "geeky" engineer. Also, a career that as you grow older (aka. more experienced) you worth more. With the computer enginneer profession, I feel that I am losing the edge as I grow older. ( I am in early 30s).

For family reasons, I am more interested in working in California, Seattle or Denver. Are there plenty of job opportunities in those areas?

I am still investigating options. To switch to Actuary, or to continue my engineering path. BTW, is it likely to make around 84K after 2-3 years into the profession? That was what I was making before.

Thank you for your input. At my age, I can't afford to make too many mistakes.

[pepper2000]

Having good work experience and computer skills, I would say that you're in as strong a position as anyone to enter the field. That isn't saying a whole lot these days due to the competitiveness of the job market. I presume you know about the exam system, and you should not expect to be able to find a job until you pass at least one exam, and maybe two or three exams. If you can't afford to be without income for a while, then you may have to get another job to hold you over.

Oh, and at your age, you can afford to make plenty of mistakes. I'm almost 30 and my mistake outnumber the non-mistakes by a wide margin.