Hello everyone. It is my pleasure to be part of this forum.
I am 26 years old (soon to be 27). I came to the US in 2008 and I am originally from Bulgaria. My bachelor's degree is in business administration with concentration in accounting and finance. For one reason or another my current job is a retail manager.
I recently learned about the actuarial field and I've had the opportunity to do some modest research. I have reasons to believe that I'll greatly enjoy the actuarial work and I can be very successful given that I manage to enter this field.
However I have some concerns. I am already 27 years old. Isn't it too late to start something like that? As far as I understand people start taking the actuarial exams while still in college and it has been more than 4 years since I graduated college. Moreover I haven't really studied mathematics seriously. The only math classes that I've taken in college were Finite Mathematics and Statistics. I've studied basic calculus in high school, but I never took that class in college. Though, I am generally good with numbers and have good quantitative aptitude. Are the ACTEX and ASM guides sufficient to prepare a student for the exams or that students needs to do some preliminary work - like taking an on-line calculus class for example, given that he doesn't have such solid math background like me.
What are the current prospects for career changers in the actuarial field?
Do you need a graduate degree to enter the actuarial field? If not would one be of help? How would s graduate degree in Actuarial Science help?
Unfortunately I don't know anyone in this field to give me advice.
Thank you in advance.