What if unable to pass all the exams? & many more questi

[skibearvalley]

Hi all,

I am on the way switching to actuarial science, but have questions on future prospects. It is widely quoted that being an actuary is one of the best jobs in the world, I believe that is true for those who have attained full qualification, but

1.) how about if one is unable to, for instance get stuck somewhere after 5,6 exams, how are the lives of this group of people, what kind of job they do?

2.) Since I'm stationed in CA, I would like to know as to why the % of membership is so less in the Western U.S. Refer to the following website for the stats.
http://www.beanactuary.org/find/geo.cfm

3.)What computer knowledge is essential for an actuary?

4.)Are the study manuals better than the textbooks recommended on the website. Which study maual is the best?

5.)Do we have to refer to all the textbooks for a single subject or referring anyone textbook would suffice?

6.)Which calculator would be the best to buy, which would be common for all the exams?

7.)Which association is better SOA or CAS?

I have gone through some of the previous threads but never got an answer to my satisfaction. I know I've put forth too many questions . Hoping to get an answer. Thanks for your input in advance & wish you all the best in your respective careers.

[cubedbee]

You have 7 questions, so you make the same post 7 different times? Why wouldn't you just post once in the Exams-General section rather than in each individual section? I can understand post count enhancement, but this is ridiculous.