As part of our global series, we caught up with Jessica Adrianto, based in Indonesia, to find out more about her journey to becoming an actuary.
From the period where I was in university until the present time, actuary continues to be a highly-regarded and prestigious profession. From what I heard back then from practicing actuaries, the role demands a set of strong mathematical, analytical and problem-solving skills, which may not come naturally for everyone.
The scope of skills and knowledge that the profession can cover is also profoundly broad. In my role as product actuary, on top of insurance (mortality, morbidity) risks, non-insurance risks such as moral hazard, clients’ behaviour, and operational risks are also things to take into consideration. Furthermore, being updated and aware of the commercial and regulatory environment is also key in our daily activities. The role facilitates you to cover a broad area of knowledge and information.
Therefore in view of the above, I believed I could gain an invaluable, balanced and broad skills set by joining this prestigious profession.
I enjoy the dynamic nature of this role. Every day can be different. Literally.
Market movement and competition are something my team has to always anticipate as we need to be ready to quickly provide solutions to support our distribution teams.
In addition, I enjoy the opportunity to work closely with other departments in my daily activities. Developing a product and ensuring its successful launch, it is crucial to maintain excellent coordination with other teams, for instance, Underwriting & Claims, Marketing, IT, Sales & Distribution team.
This opportunity truly expands my skills beyond technical actuarial skills and this is very valuable as I get to continuously expand the scope of my knowledge.
Last year, my team successfully designed and launched innovative and new products that are in the market. The products brought fresh concepts to the market and were well-liked by distributors as well as clients. They quickly became (and still) top-selling products.
On top of the recognition, it is the sense of achievement that makes this is one of the highlights in my career. I think it is also one of the perks of being a product actuary, which keeps me challenging myself to create better, more creative and innovative products that can help our clients, distributors and the company.
Keep going forward! There are so many things you can learn during your career life, you will be surprised. If you face challenges and feels like giving up, just remember that if you pass this, you will already be on the next level. Growing and levelling up requires you to step out of your comfort zone, for you to discover more of your ability and potential.
Lastly, do not ever give up on your exam. Ace them!
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone
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Find out more about Becoming an Actuary and our work in South East Asia on our website
