Now entering Yuppieville

Yesterday the Society of Actuaries finally granted me associate-level member status. So after 5.25 years of taking exams (and ~$20,000...company paid), I am now officially an actuary. It feels great to not caveat the statement "I'm an actuary" with "well, my profession still regards me as an actuarial student". I'm STILL studying for fellowship exams, but it feels great to be far more secure in our future now.

Aside from the pay increase and greater future opportunities there have been a few interesting benefits of the new designation: I have felt far more respected at work the past month (since I passed the final requirement for associateship), I'll soon be able to sign statements of actuarial opinion, and now I have a professional title - Peter D. Hedgecock, ASA, MAAA, ALMI. What a mouthful! I'd prefer something simple like JD or MD but apparently those were already taken. (In case you're wondering what the initials mean... Associate of the Society of Actuaries; Member of the American Academy of Actuaries; Associate, Life Management Institute).

In light of this monumental event, Cyn and I just had to celebrate...which means we got a pizza, rented a movie (my choice tonight: Man on Wire), and fell asleep before getting 30 minutes in.