Graduate Profiles

Jyoti Shah

I graduated in 2005 from Durham University with a degree in Chemistry.
After leaving university, I had no idea where I wanted to work or even what sector I wanted to work in.  After taking a year out after university, and talking to many people about their personal work experiences, I realised I had misconceptions about working in the Financial sector.  I thought there would not be much variety and had not even considered it as a possible career.  Much of my Chemistry degree was very numerical, which was the aspect I enjoyed the most.  This, together with the positives I had heard about the industry reassured me that applying to be an actuary was the right path to take.

Having finally chosen to be an actuary, I then had to decide what branch of actuarial work I wanted to begin my career in.  I chose the general reinsurance market as I wanted my job to be as varied as possible, and I felt that this was where I would achieve this.  I also chose reinsurance as opposed to insurance, because direct business has already seen a great deal of actuarial development (eg personal lines), whereas there are constantly new challenges within reinsurance allowing new methods and models to be developed.

On joining the company, the first 3 weeks were spent on an induction programme.  This enabled me to build my knowledge about the company and the role it plays in the market, whilst getting to meet other graduates.  Almost immediately after joining the Actuarial reserving team, I was given responsibility and was involved in various projects.

One plus point about Aspen is that within the Actuarial team, there are opportunities to rotate within the different departments - reserving, pricing and capital modelling.  I have been at Aspen for nearly a year and have worked with the reserving team.  Along with the extensive training I continuously receive, I believe Aspen really helps to achieve professional goals.  The study package for the actuarial exams is fantastic, as well as the support I receive.  The exams are difficult, and a great deal of motivation is required to advance through them.  However, the rewards are apparent and continuous progression through the exams provides great career opportunities.

Maintaining a balance between work and personal life is very important to me, and I feel that has not changed since joining Aspen.  I feel very fortunate to have found a career at Aspen that offers a steep learning curve, as well as being part of a well respected profession.