CAS Profile: Othon Hamill

Name of college/university attended: Brigham Young University with a degree in Actuarial Science 

Current employer/job title: Actuarial Analyst at the American Family Insurance Group 

Why would you recommend a career in the insurance industry to current college students?
Insurance is a great career for anyone interested in applying statistics you’ve learned in class or seen in real life. Insurance is nothing more than a complex series of probabilities, and that’s an interesting realm to work in with near boundless applications. 

Why did you become an actuary?
I became an actuary after some advice from a high school statistics teacher. I enjoyed statistics and had a good history of exam taking, so figured I’d mix the two. The exams are considerably harder than your high school statistics exams but a whole lot more rewarding.  

What drew you to a career in property and casualty insurance?
I decided on property and casualty for a few reasons, but mostly because modeling mortality sounded a little too morbid. In addition to that, I appreciated the CAS’s exams and their take on the credential process. 

What can students do now to prepare for a career in the industry?
Students can look for statistics in their current interests. Insurance is nothing more than applied business statistics, and statistics isn’t just a field of study but a broader way of understanding events around us and representing them to others. If you’re interested in sports, there’s an easy intro to statistics. Wildlife, music, social media? Statistics heaven. My wife’s even a big bachelor fan, and I have to say @Bachelordata is one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in a long time. Not my cup of tea personally, but it just proves again that statistics are everywhere, just dig into what you’re already interested in and it’ll serve you greatly down the road.