Actuarial Journey Update #2
So, here it is—the second Actuarial Journey Update. After a month, and also a year, I can proudly say that I have achieved more in my actuarial path than I initially expected. Over the past month, I preliminarily passed the SOA FM Exam and completed one of the CAS Online Courses—CAS DISC DA: Introduction to Data and Analytics.
Below, as before, I present my status, thoughts, and plans for the next month and year as of today, December 18, 2024. The Next Goals section will be titled 2025 Goals—let's make them count!
The status structure may change to a table format in the future, and I am considering how best to visualize it. Any updates from the previous status will be highlighted in bold and marked in green (e.g., new exam passed, new course completed) or red (e.g., exam or course failure during the month).
Status
Polish exams passed: 1 of 9
SOA/CAS exams passed: 2 of 9
CAS Online Courses: 1 of 3
CAS Course on Professionalism: 0 of 1
VEEs: 0 of 2
Passion: present, looking forward to next challenges, with gratitude for 2024 achievements
Exam-life balance: temporarily disappeared before the FM exam in December, but it’s back!
Thoughts
Last month, I preliminarily passed the SOA FM Exam and successfully finished one of the CAS Online Courses. The time leading up to the FM exam was fully packed with solving practice problems, reviewing essential formulas, and trying to maintain a regular life alongside it. I knew it would be tough—especially in the final days before the exam when stress levels and self-doubt tend to peak. And yes, there were moments when I felt exhausted and discouraged, particularly after failing to solve certain questions correctly for the tenth time.
But as I wrote in Study Tip #2, discomfort is an integral part of the study process. If I hadn't failed a few mock exams or struggled to solve problems, I wouldn't have learned as much. So, I made an effort to push through those feelings, trying again and again until I could solve the problems correctly and score well enough on the mock exams.
The CAS Online Course was easier than the FM exam but still required several hours of study. It covered topics like data analysis, data privacy, and machine learning. This course, conducted by The Institutes, included an online exam, so there was no need to travel to a testing center.
Overall, I’m happy to have both the exam and the online course behind me. I feel a sense of gratitude and greater confidence moving forward.
2025 Goals
2024 was the year I began taking both Polish and SOA/CAS actuarial exams. At the start of the year, I was only planning to take the Polish ones. Therefore, I’m aware that my 2025 plans may change as the year progresses. However, here is my current list of actuarial goals:
Pass at least 2 Polish exams
Complete the remaining 2 CAS Online Courses
Pass at least one CAS Exam