How will your career evolve after one, 10, or even 30 years? I interviewed three actuaries at different stages of their careers and asked them to share their insights with our readers.  

Chris Lepore works at Travelers, where he is part of the Actuarial Leadership Development Program. He graduated from UConn in 2023 with a degree in actuarial science.  

Leah Windt works as a consulting actuary at Milliman. She joined Milliman in 2017 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. Leah obtained her FCAS in 2023. 

Adam Kreuser has over 38 years of industry experience at various companies. He currently works at Acuity as director of actuarial strategy. Adam obtained his FCAS in 1995. 

 Future Fellows (FF): How did you hear about the actuarial profession, and what drew you to the career?  

Chris Lepore (CL): I knew in high school that I wanted to pursue a math-heavy career, and it happened by chance that I fell upon actuarial science. As a Connecticut resident, I was interested in going to UConn, and they happen to have a big actuarial science program. After being accepted, I got to hear about different majors, and what really drew me in was the passion of the people who were leading the actuarial science program at UConn.  

Leah Windt (LW): Growing up, my swim coach was an actuary, and he introduced me to the profession. I was interested enough to pursue it as my major. As I started taking actuarial classes, it became clear that it was a great fit for me. I have always liked math, but I was drawn to its business applications rather than pursuing a different math-related field, such as engineering.  

Adam Kreuser (AK): I had no clue what an actuary was in college. I was strong at math but didn’t want to become a mathematician. During my senior year, I was interviewing with an insurer, and they were hiring for different jobs, including actuarial. I learned from the interview what an actuary is. Once I learned about it, I felt it perfectly described what I wanted to do.  

FF: What aspects of your job do you enjoy?  

CL: I really enjoy working with other people, even though I’m into math! Actuaries can never be in their bubble because they have to explain the numbers that they’re calculating. You have to explain what you’re doing and talk about it with other parts of the organization — products, claims, finance, and whatever else it might be. 

FF: Do you have any advice for new hires who are just starting out? 

CL: My main piece of advice is to just talk to people. When you start out on a new team, make a point to meet with those people (and their closest business partners) and develop relationships with them. Once you establish connections, don’t be afraid to go to those people when you need help with something or a little bit of direction. 

FF: As you’ve advanced in your career, how have your daily tasks and responsibilities changed? 

LW: As my career has progressed, my work has become less “in the weeds.” Rather than doing detailed data and analysis prep directly, I’ve spent more time performing higher-level reviews, setting direction for new projects, and communicating with clients. I also volunteer on the Board of the Midwestern Actuarial Forum (a CAS Regional Affiliate), which has replaced some of the time that used to be spent studying. 

FF: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since becoming credentialed? 

LW: Having a mentor (or several) has been important for me since becoming an FCAS. As you are taking exams, it feels like there is a defined path towards the next step of your career. Afterwards, it’s less clear how to continue to grow and challenge yourself. Finding mentors has helped me continue developing as an actuary. They’ve encouraged me to think about the future of my career on a regular basis, provided opportunities that challenge me, and helped me get involved in the actuarial community. 

FF: How has the profession changed during your career? 

AK: The biggest change has to do with data and data availability, both in terms of what you can get and how you can use it. And the computing power changes everything. When I started, there was one computer for the department, and everyone had to share time. 

Back then, actuaries were often considered backroom number crunchers. Today, an actuary has more career options within and outside the traditional actuarial area, including becoming a senior leader. There’s unlimited opportunity when you can bring an analytical mind to solve company problems. 

FF: Beyond technical skills, what qualities make a great actuary? 

AK: The ability to communicate with nontechnical people is huge. Actuaries are smart people, but we need to realize that we don’t have all the answers. We need to communicate with people from other disciplines to best solve the company’s challenges. A rate indication isn’t the whole world; it’s part of a bigger problem — how do you make the state of XX profitable? Working together to solve larger problems helps actuaries be more valuable to the organization.