Top products from r/actuary
We found 25 product mentions on r/actuary. We ranked the 40 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 4
John Wiley Sons
2. Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 3.0: How to Stand Out from the Crowd and Tap Into the Hidden Job Market using Social Media and 999 other Tactics Today
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
Wiley
3. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Sentiment score: -1
Number of reviews: 1
102812 Has limited quantity available
4. Texas Instruments TI30XSMV TI-30XS MultiView Scientific Calculator, 16-Digit LCD
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
Sold as 1 EA.Designed with unique features to allow you to enter more than one calculation, compare results and explore patterns, all on the same screen. Enter and view calculations in common Math Notation via the MATHPRINT Mode, including stacked fractions, exponents, exact square roots and more.Qu...
5. NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (Book One)
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
Amulet Books
6. Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Crown Publishing Group NY
7. Sql in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
8. The Emergence of Probability: A Philosophical Study of Early Ideas About Probability Induction and Statistical Inference (Cambridge Series on Statistical & Probabilistic Mathematics)
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
9. Mathematical Statistics with Applications
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
10. Corporate Value of Enterprise Risk Management: The Next Step in Business Management
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
11. Excel 2010 Power Programming with VBA
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
Wiley
12. An Introduction to the Mathematics of Finance: A Deterministic Approach
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Used Book in Good Condition
13. Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
Sentiment score: -1
Number of reviews: 1
Godel Escher Bach An Eternal Golden Braid
14. When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
Sentiment score: -1
Number of reviews: 1
Random House Trade
15. 4th Grade Reading Comprehension Success Workbook: Reading Between the Lines, Picture Clues, Fact and Opinion, Main Ideas and Details, Comparing and ... and More (Sylvan Language Arts Workbooks)
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
4th Grade Reading Comprehension Success Activities Exercises and Tips to Help Catch Up Keep Up and Get Ahead Sylvan Language Arts Workbooks
17. The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Vintage Books USA
software developer here. I use sql every day and its an integral part of the majority of the software i work on. That said i would NOT recommend w3schools for sql. w3schools is a great "reference" site for html,css, and sometimes javascript. Meaning it has a lot of information but isn't the best place to learn sql but a good resource once you know it. also w3schools has slowly but surely fallen behind its former glory.
I'd recomend picking up one or more books off amazon. With sql its important to have a database set up to help you learn. if you already do i'd go with: http://www.amazon.com/SQL-Nutshell-OReilly-Kevin-Kline/dp/0596518846/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1318654308&sr=8-16. O'reilly makes a large number of computer language related books and its going to take you step by step through learning sql. If you don't have a database set up already and are not sure where to begin then go with: http://www.amazon.com/Language-SQL-Access-Relational-Databases/dp/143545751X/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1318654308&sr=8-12. the first chapter(s) are devoted to installing and setting up either Microsoft Sql Server or MySql (and maybe oracle sql developer too) the three most popular database systems used. then its going to walk you threw, step by step, the one you choose.
I'll add im not an actuary so i cant make to many assumptions on what you already know and what you don't but as a software developer find some hands on resources to teach you is definitely what i'd recommend, and there are lots of good and cheep books on amazon to help you do that.
Lastly you may want to post this question on r/programming or r/sql or something like that explaining your situation and they might have even better recommendations.
As a fresh graduate, you are not expected to know in-depth what an actuarial consultant does. You will just be supporting credentialed actuaries for the first few years.
More helpful to you would be something that improves your interview skills. I have used this book 60 Minutes & You're Hired and found it to be pretty useful.
Tell stories about the projects that you've worked on that demonstrate the skills that the position requires. This indirectly shows you're an effective communicator, and it also engages the interviewer on a conversational level.
Misc other things:
If you have some time, I would highly recommend buying & reading "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters". It really helps you frame "you" as something that employers want. Hard to explain, but it'll help.
Hm , thats a good question. I am a designated actuary and I am not aware of a single book that covers all the basics.
The two main papers of CAS exam 5 may be helpful for learning the basics of pricing and reserving:
http://www.casact.org/library/studynotes/Werner_Modlin_Ratemaking.pdf
http://www.casact.org/library/studynotes/Friedland_estimating.pdf
For historical context of insurance and financial risk, this is a very good book. Although you wouldn't learn any of the details of how an insurance company is run:
https://www.amazon.com/Against-Gods-Remarkable-Story-Risk/dp/0471295639
Good luck!
Econometric Models and Economic Forecasts by Pindyck & Rubinfeld was pretty useful for regression analysis and time-series models. A few of the required textbooks for the FAP modules were also pretty interesting, especially Segal and Brown & Lennox.
Superforecasting has been on my "get to soon" list since I got it last Christmas. It just got a nice nod in the latest CAS magazine.
Along the probability/math lines, other books I've enjoyed are:
Good luck. For CT1 I suggest doing a lot of past papers (this goes for any of the CT exams tbh) and perhaps this textbook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Introduction-Mathematics-Finance-Stephen-Garrett/dp/0080982409
I'm sure you can find older editions of that one for much cheaper, but old editions may lack some of the material from the later chapters on financial derivatives (futures, forwards, swaps and options etc)
A month is also a tall order, but CT1 is quite simple, so it's manageable if you allocate time well.
Ideally want to read this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Emergence-Probability-Philosophical-Probabilistic/dp/0521685575/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377487517&sr=8-1&keywords=the+emergence+of+probability
Sadly the only university in my city lost their accreditation since they couldn't pay a competitive salary.
I lucked out because my Statistics professor is insanely qualified. (Ph.D in Mathematics and Ph.D in Statistics) So our Stats course covers MGFs and the derivations of all the theorems. Pretty much every question in this book: http://www.amazon.ca/Mathematical-Statistics-Applications-Dennis-Wackerly/dp/0495110817
Thanks a lot for the response. The thought of taking on something of this magnitude with no real life mentor-ship is really daunting.
I also completely forgot to mention a book that I highly recommend for all job searches. I cannot say enough good things about it:
Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters
Did you purchase the exact textbook mentioned in the syllabus, with the ISBN: 978-0134083278? Because I found a cheap rental on amazon for ~$70 but it doesn't exactly match the ISBN.
This is about the history of risk and the progress of risk management through the ages. Completely readable. Recommended.
http://www.amazon.com/Against-Gods-Remarkable-Story-Risk/dp/0471295639
https://www.amazon.com/Actuary-Rural-English-Mystery-Calculated-ebook/dp/B00XQTQV00/
https://www.amazon.com/Against-Gods-Remarkable-Story-Risk/dp/0471295639/
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Making-Money-Steve-Oliverez/dp/1973166526/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1527397363&sr=8-1-spons
https://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Expanded-Updated-Cutting-Edge-ebook/dp/B002WE46UW/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1527397363&sr=8-27
https://www.amazon.com/National-Espionage-Rescue-Defense-Society/dp/0810989859/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527397478&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Sexy-Nerd-Kayley-Loring-ebook/dp/B079VVBL54/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1527397493&sr=8-11
For VBA, I cannot recommend any of the books by Walkenbach highly enough, such as: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Excel-Power-Programming-Spreadsheets-Bookshelf/dp/0470475358/ref=la_B000APG96Y_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406291315&sr=1-5
Against The God: the remarkable story of Risk- Outlines the history of probability theory and risk assessment through the centuries
https://www.amazon.com/Against-Gods-Remarkable-Story-Risk/dp/0471295639/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475105434&sr=1-1&keywords=against+the+gods
When Genius Failed - A narrative of the spectacular fall of Long Term Capital Management, a hedge fund which had on its board both Myron Scholes AND Robert Merton (you will recall them from MFE)
https://www.amazon.com/When-Genius-Failed-Long-Term-Management/dp/0375758259/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475105453&sr=1-1&keywords=when+genius+failed
Black Swan/ Antifragility- A former quant discusses the nature of risk in these controversial and philosophical books. Some parts of this book are actually called out and shamed in McDonald's Derivative Markets, one or the both of them are worth reading
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475105478&sr=1-1&keywords=black+swan
Godel, Escher, Bach- Very dense look into recursive patterns in mathematics and the arts. While not actuarial, it's obviously very mathematical, a must read.
https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475105497&sr=1-1&keywords=geb
Endurance- This was recommended to me by a pure mathematics professor. Again, not actuarial, but more about the nature of perseverance though problem solving(sound familiar). It's about Shakleton's famous voyage to the south pole.
https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/0465062881/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475105520&sr=1-1&keywords=endurance+shackleton%27s+incredible+voyage