View Full Version : FCAS with few skills?
A Blind Squirrel
01-05-2011, 09:50 AM
I am pretty close to getting my FCAS, however, I feel like I haven't really learned many skills at my company that can be useful outside of my company.
I am proficient at using all the company models and I am okay at SAS and Excel, but I don't think that if I were to go to a different company, I would have a significant advantage over an entry-level.
I don't mind my job, but it's difficult to meet people where I am (small city in the Midwest) and I am thinking about moving.
Should I start looking for another job now before I am an FCAS with no discernible skills? Am I worried for no reason, is "knowledge of company models and SAS/Excel" really a skill I am bringing?
Thanks.
tommie frazier
01-05-2011, 10:12 AM
describe what you do at work. reserves? pricing? what?
A Blind Squirrel
01-05-2011, 10:21 AM
describe what you do at work. reserves? pricing? what?
Mostly pricing for a specific LOB. A lot of the time, I am just creating Excel sheets without really needing to know any calculations or using models that have been circulating around the office.
A lot of the time, I also update and tweak the models (since I am okay at programming excel). I just think that I am so familiar with "how excel works" and "the company models" that it's pretty much all I've been doing, whereas I think others at the company are more involved in making decisions/assumptions/understanding how everything works.
Blue Man
01-05-2011, 10:28 AM
Once you have those magic letters, you will find a whole realm of new opportunities open up to you. A lot of people get their FCAS even faster than you, and have a similar lack of real world experience. It's not that big a deal because if you're smart enough to get as far as you have, companies know there's a good chance you're smart enough to learn how to make the big decisions.
Vorian Atreides
01-05-2011, 10:30 AM
Are there other LOB you could get involved with at your current company?
A Blind Squirrel
01-05-2011, 10:33 AM
Are there other LOB you could get involved with at your current company?
There are, and maybe I have made mistakes in that I didn't proactively seek out opportunities to work on them. However, I think that by the time the opportunity comes up (I am pretty busy now), it would be past the point that I want to be out of here already.
Anyway, thank you for all your advice guys, I am going to go to work (and I don't want to log in there), but I'll keep reading and maybe post some more afterward.
Vorian Atreides
01-05-2011, 10:42 AM
I would encourage you to seek out those opportunities within your company (at least express strong interest to your management) to at least account for the possibility that you won't land a better job sooner.
Blue Man
01-05-2011, 10:46 AM
He's planning to quit this year whether or not he gets another job lined up.
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