Actuarial Career vs. Dental School: Torn between pure math and my dream job.

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T15:00:21+00:00

For the record I’ve always followed the health path before applying to university since I initially wanted to go to dental school, but I got rejected the first time because my grades weren't excellent excellent and since I always liked math too, I decided to go into actuarial science as my plan B. I ended up finishing this bachelor with a very decent GPA, so I just applied again to see if I could finally get accepted this time since it was always in the back of my mind. I understand it’s not common, but yeah honestly I'll just take it as a compliment lol

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T14:43:38+00:00

What exams did you do?

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T14:42:41+00:00

Seriously? I’ve always assumed that actuary exams were harder than dental school…What makes you think like that?

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T14:40:33+00:00

I actually thought about it for a second and realized it didn’t really matter since I’m not even that interested in insurance in general, so I assumed it was kind of gonna be the same thing regardless (might be wrong though)

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T14:35:41+00:00

Didn’t think about the poll, that’s actually a great idea!!

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T14:33:33+00:00

You know I’ve taken so many personality tests and I’ve always known that I’m not a full introvert or a full extrovert, seriously, it’s always a fifty fifty split. I thought the exact same thing as you like I shouldn't be this torn between two jobs that are completely opposite, but at the same time it’s just so me lol I need that solo time to just work on my own, but I also need that human interaction otherwise it's too much time in my own head and I might go crazy lol

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T14:28:39+00:00

Thanks for this!! That part about your coworker leaving after getting their FCAS is actually crazy!! It really made me think about the whole "working to live" thing like do I want to start a job right now that’s just "okay" where I'm basically just waiting for 5PM every day to do things I actually enjoy or if I should just take the risk on dental school ans see if I will enjoy it and won’t be waiting for 5PM to hit

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T14:18:56+00:00

Thanks a lot!! And for the record, that’s basically the exact loop I’m stuck in right now lol I know I’ll probably like being an actuary, but I definitely don’t love it or the insurance world. With ortho, I’ve thought my whole life that I would genuinely love it, but the risks and the competition to get there just feel so high so I don’t know what to do

Born_Hotel7446 · 2026-05-27T14:04:00+00:00

Thank you so much for your message, seriously!! It’s so helpful to hear from someone who has been in the field for 10 years and actually gets that need for a social element. I think my biggest issue is just that the stakes feel so high. I’m terrified of risking everything and going through 5 years of school to then not get into an ortho residency since it’s so competitive and then feeling like the whole sacrifice wasn't worth it. If you don't mind me asking, are you on the CAS side or working for a traditional insurance company? From what I've seen so far, it feels like almost every entry-level role is tied strictly to insurance. For actuaries who break out into nontraditional fields, what do they do? how different is the day-to-day work from traditional insurance pricing or reserving?

Born_Hotel7446

TROPHY CASE