any outdoorsy actuaries?

[Nanae7]

Do any of you not like being cooped up inside all day in a little cubicle? It's taken a little while for me to get used to it, especially on nice days. This is my first "real" job after college and it's been a big adjustment. Anyone else feel the same way?

[JO]

You should watch office space and fight club. That'll make you feel much better..

[ASA_Woman]

I know what you mean. I had never worked a regular Mon-Fri 9-5 schedule before and felt really uncomfortable working here for the first year or so. I think it was the cubicle thing and also working with the same 4 people (in my dept) everyday. I was used to working with tons of different people and not having to see the same faces every minute of the day everday of the week. Plus I didn't seem to have much in common with any of them (apart from the actuarial thing) so that made it worse.

[M.]

I used to be an elementary school teacher. We got out for a few minutes of recess on almost every nice day. When I first started working in a cube, I had to get up all the time and look out the window. I've gotten used to it, but there are many days when I miss that time outdoors. However, I don't miss the low pay, poor benefits, rude parents, discipline problems...

[BigMactuary,]

I worked for 4 years after college. Almost got burnt. Went back to school to get my MBA. Loved every second of it. As compared to actuarial exams MBA was a breeze. Now I am back to work and miss school so bad I cant even tell you.

But I am outdoorsy alright and enjoy the weekends. I dont see myself working all my life as an actuary. Maybe some day after I win a big lottery or out of my savings I'll have a ranch in British Columbia.

[Enough Exams Already]

I used to be a teacher, and I actually miss being on my feet all day. Cube-dwelling is just too sedentary for me, almost like being a monk in a cell. So if I need to talk to anyone for any reason, I walk over and see them face-to-face rather than send e-mail or call. At least I get the illusion of movement and socialbility.

[Anonymous]

I used to be a teacher, too, mostly high school.
The only thing I miss is the way you have an influence on people's lives. When you get through to someone, when you get them to believe in themselves, that's pretty awesome. Oh yeah, and summers off.

But all in all, I'm much happier working in this field.

[rabbit]

Wow, there are a lot of ex-teachers in this profession. I also miss the noble feeling of impacting student's lives and watching them improve and grow during the year.

I also badly miss the occasional winter holiday and summer holiday! Still, the hours are a lot better at my current job, so I get to see my family a lot more on a daily basis.

[Ron Weasley]

Other than the exams, cube dwelling is the worst part of this profession. After both working with tourists and framing houses for part of my academic years, cube dwelling was particularly rough for me when I started work after college.

In a prior career (not insurance or teaching related) I worked as both a regulator and a consultant (different jobs, same career) in a field that took me out of the office at least two or three days a month. I looked forward to those days.

I agree that walking to other cube dweller's desks instead of calling them helps, but it's not the same.

[Maine-iac]

Honestly, the cubes never really bothered me, except for lack of storage space. I'm just not that sensitive to externals. I do like the real office and the window now that I have one. Though there actually was more comraderie in the cube environment. (Throwing comments [and occasionally a koosh ball]over the wall, rolling into the hall to chat, etc.) Probably the lack of that is partly why I post so much.

However, it probably helps that the great outdoors is literally just outside my door at home, and not more than a couple of miles from work.

[Ron Weasley]

Yeah Manie-iac, rub it in and make us feel better. :wink:

[Maine-iac]

Happy to oblige. :wink:

Mr. Maine-iac saw 4 moose on his way home from work last night. 2 parties of 2. Luckily, they were not in front of him.

[M.]

Maine-iac: What is the general opinion on moose up there? When I was in New Hampshire, people seemed to have mixed feelings toward them. They liked to hear stories of the funny places moose would turn up. At the same time, though, if somebody wrecked their car into one, they and their friends were almost disappointed if the animal wasn't killed in the process. Maybe it was just the weirdos at the college I attended...

[42]

Back in the old days ... (boy, my staff hates it when I start off with that phrase! :grin:) ... we didn't even have cubicles. We all sat out in the open, and if we wanted privacy (like for a performance appraisal), we just hung a bedsheet between the desks. ... and we liked it! Seriously, cubicles suck. So study hard and hope that you become the head honcho with his corner office full of windows and a back 40. In any case, getting as much of the outdoors as you can in the evenings and on weekends helps cut down on the mid-day cravings.

[Nanae7]

Thanks for the advice, 42. I'm sure that it'll help once the sun starts staying out a little bit later. Just have to take advantage of the time away from work.

[Maine-iac]

Where I live, in Northern ME, Moose are generally well regarded, but considered a serious hazard on the roads. If the population gets too large, they are more of a road hazard, and suffer greatly in a hard winter, so the public is pretty pro-hunting, but without malice.

Nobody roots for the moose to die in a car crash, but neither you nor the moose are apt to come off in good shape, so it is rather moot. If you are not going too fast when you hit a deer, your odds are fair for getting off with just vehicle damage. Not so with a moose.

[Crystal Dragon.]

Bed sheets?! you had BED sheets?!

in MY day, we held up a newspaper if we wanted privacy!