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As mentioned before I am mostly studying and trying to absorb information - on the products, underwriting guidelines, the exam 5 paper on Ratemaking, powerpoints created by staff over the years, our data sources, basic pricing methods (calculating rate indicators, parallelogram method) and FM material when I can find time. The amount of material that has been thrown at me is pretty daunting and by Friday I was at the "how am I ever going to learn all this" point. Our claims data in particular is a bit of a mess - there are multiple claims systems for different products, each with different nuances/issues I have to be aware of when using it for analysis. The fields in each table are mostly cryptic (due to a character limitation of SAS when pulling from the mainframe, I believe) and a lot of entries are codes which require translation. I think I am retaining something like 30% of what I am being told in my various informational meetings/conversations.
Now I am sure I will reach the point within a few weeks where I have been immersed for so long that everything just starts making more sense and I start retaining a higher proportion of what is given to me. At least, that is the faith I am holding on to. It would be encouraging to hear from another analyst or someone that they know exactly what I am experiencing and give me some comparison data that says I am doing as well or better than others were at a comparable point in their training. I know it is not likely, but I imagine getting let go after several months because of learning difficulty.
If anyone with experience happens to read this, I'd appreciate if they could answer two questions:
1. What does the typical training program fully consist of? I'm wondering if I can expect more than slide shows and readings in the future, and if being overwhelmed at the start is normal.
2. How long until one should be able to do some productive tasks?
If anyone with experience happens to read this, I'd appreciate if they could answer two questions:
1. What does the typical training program fully consist of? I'm wondering if I can expect more than slide shows and readings in the future, and if being overwhelmed at the start is normal.
2. How long until one should be able to do some productive tasks?
I just finished my first real week of work as an entry level actuarial analyst. how are things now that you've been there for a couple of months? I feel exactly how you were feeling your first week and it's a bit overwhelming and I really want to excel.
ReplyDeleteRead my later posts! If I could offer some advice - 1. don't worry; 2. still push yourself though (go in early, go over previous day's notes, stay late, take reading material home); 3. Ask for hard drive locations of work product (excel files mostly) which you can explore to see how they are designed; 4. get and read books/training manuals for excel, access, and any other software you may be weak on but is used frequently; and 5. knock off some of the easy goals from your 30/60/90 day plan so you feel like you accomplished something.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.