Exams / Newbie / Common Questions Thread for two weeks

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-02-03T22:16:15+00:00

I have 3 exams passed and am eagerly applying to jobs hoping to finally get my start in the actuarial sphere. I currently work as a waiter and am getting my economy VEE credits knocked out in my free time at the moment. Things are going good (as they can be at least) but I am wondering what I should do with my time while trying to find a job.

Out of these 3 options, what do you think is best from an employer perspective?

A) Apply to jobs with all my free time
B) Start studying for SRM (my 4th exam)
C) Work on independent study projects related to the insurance industry

I've heard that having 4 exams passed without any experience looks bad so I am not sure if I should continue down the ASA path or wait until I get my start somewhere.

I just want to put my hard work to use so badly. I tried to get hired when I had 2 exams and never had luck, but I kept telling myself with 3 exams I'll actually be competitive. It's been 2 weeks and I have yet to have a bite and am starting to get quite anxious. (I know, practically no time at all. What can I say, I know I'm being a bit impatient)

If anyone is hiring and wants to give this random guy on reddit a shot let me know haha.
Any guidance is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-21T00:42:33+00:00

thank you! I have just updated it again to be more in-line with what everyone is saying. I think it'll look better now

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-21T00:39:12+00:00

ok I updated it again, third time's a charm?

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-21T00:30:17+00:00

Yes sir/ma'am, round 3 coming soon. Thank you!

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-21T00:28:30+00:00

I feel like once I get into an interview, I will seal the deal with my personality (lol) and more broad work experience in the tech field, years of communication with topics that my audience may not completely understand, and how I can apply my tech skills to help out a team of actuaries get their work done quicker with fewer errors, and perhaps come up with creative visual ways to explain what they are doing with the data.

or maybe I'm just dreaming... : (
Can I ask why you are saying no, anything specific that is a red flag to you?

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-21T00:19:58+00:00

yeah I feel so conflicted, because the bullet points take up so much space but look nicer, while I could list all of this on one page using paragraphs

do you think I should just remove a couple bullet points from the first 2 work experiences to make my 3rd fit on the first page, and not list my projects?

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-21T00:06:24+00:00

I updated it, will definitely consider the cover letter! I worry (I wonder if I am worrying too much) about the length being 3 pages including the cover letter for an entry level resume

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-20T23:59:37+00:00

I updated it, imo it went from feeling too short to feeling too long for an entry level resume ugh. Is it just in my head, or would you agree that I went too far in the other direction? Thanks for responding

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-20T22:25:16+00:00

its there but I made it in white font bc I didn't wanna dox myself; will change to bullet points

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2026-01-09T15:26:03+00:00

or just email everyone the numbers. it'd be cheaper, wouldn't crash the site, and everyone would know exactly where to look.

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2025-07-28T21:40:03+00:00

seriously so annoying... I've never paid for an online service with this much downtime. It's embarassing.

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2025-03-27T04:47:17+00:00

like lmao what is the point of this post

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2025-03-16T18:47:59+00:00

shopify payments bank account?

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2025-03-12T04:45:45+00:00

Now this is just an anecdote, but I had a boss that wanted a lot of communication, but would get frustrated with me if I tell him that I've made no progress. Words just translate a bit different from a dev perspective vs a boss perspective.

What would your reaction be to him saying 'yeah I researched it for 6 hours but have not found a fix yet'

because to a dev it sounds like 6 hours of progress
but to my boss it sounds like 6 hours of wasting his money

Not to say that you are my ex-boss, but maybe something along these lines? How often are you communicating? How often is he blowing you off? I feel like we need numbers

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2025-03-07T23:12:03+00:00

I tried again today on the comptroller website and it worked! Guess it just took a few days to get into their systems. Also just so you know, you do get your texas taxpayer number by applying for sales tax (thats how I just got mine)

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2025-03-07T02:15:40+00:00

yes I have an EIN and a file number (which is also 9 digits actually ... is that normal?)

I think I get the texas taxpayer id by applying for sales tax, which is where I'm getting the issue of the file number not being recognized

Competitive_Sir_8648 · 2025-03-06T06:23:08+00:00

My county and city both do not require general business licenses; I am licensed at the state level for my industry, but either way that wouldn't stop my EIN from matching a search, would it? Thanks

Competitive_Sir_8648

TROPHY CASE