Learning about actuarial science around the world
Misha Niculeanu (he/him) is an Honours Mathematics double major in Actuarial Science and Statistics, with a minor in Management Studies in his 4A term. He discusses how he stands out in interviews and shares tips on how he has dealt with struggles in his co-op terms.
Misha's co-op journey
Work term one: In his first work term, Misha took on the role of administrative assistant for Cornerstone Marketing Realty. Here, he was able to work with other co-op students from different faculties and bridge the gap between each of their areas of expertise.
Work term two: Misha then worked for TD Bank in treasury where he was able to learn more skills like Excel and Tableau that he believes will be useful for future math, finance and actuarial science jobs.
Work term three: Most recently, Misha completed a co-op term with Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) as a pricing actuary, specifically looking into research on life insurance trends, like cancer progression and COVID-19 impacts.
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Q&A with Misha
Why did you choose to study actuarial science?
“When I was in grade school, I always liked math. I enjoyed doing it, but a common thing that I heard from adults was that it's hard to study it because there's not many jobs that you can get out of it, unless you work in finance.”
“I stumbled upon actuarial science through a teacher I had in high school. What I really liked about it was just that it’s specific from the very beginning and there's a very clear distinction of jobs that you could get after graduation.”
“What you study in school and what positions you get are quite aligned, which is nice. There's also a very large variety of jobs you can get, even within actuarial science. You’re able to tailor the jobs you do to your strengths and interests.”
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Why did you want to do a study abroad term in Germany?
“This was a big decision mainly to try to get a global perspective of my field and see what else is out there other than in Canada. I have basically always been in Canada, apart from a few vacations. I never really got to be fully ingrained in another culture.”
“What I really have enjoyed so far about this experience is being able to experience a whole new culture, different classes and my field in a different country. It also comes with a lot of challenges. I'm the only international math student here in Germany for my program, so that is difficult within itself. I don't know German.”
“I'm really lucky that the courses that I'm taking are still able to be taught in English. However, all the other students in my class are German, so sometimes when they ask questions, they ask in German.”
“These are challenges that I didn't fully know coming in, but it also taught me that I'm adaptable and that's something that I get to work on while I'm here. That's a big reason why I wanted to come to Germany was to work on my adaptability and to see how adaptable I could be living alone in a different country.”
“This term abroad has also given me the courage to pursue my next co-op term abroad in New York. I thought, if I'm able to be in Germany for four months, I could do New York for another four months because it's a lot closer to Canada then I am now."
Can you tell me more about your upcoming co-op term?
“There aren't too many positions based in the United States for my program, but all of the positions that you get in the U.S. are quite relevant and at big name companies. This job specifically I’ll be working at Ernst and Young in New York.”
“The interview process was quite lengthy and it was difficult to manage with the time difference, with New York being six hours behind Germany. I’ve learned how to interview well so that managing the time difference on top of the interview wasn’t too stressful.”
The way that I go into interviews is to treat it as a two-way interview. It's not just them interviewing me, but it's also me interviewing them to see how much I would enjoy that position and working for their company.
“Being confident in yourself and showing up authentically, without putting up a front, is the best way to know if you are a proper fit for the company. That's something that I decided to do in interviews because it's not just about if they find me to be a match for their position, but it's also if they’re a match for me.”
How have you dealt with stress over your co-op terms?
“A big stress that comes with co-op is deadlines and working on multiple projects at once. The main way that I navigate those stressors is through time management and organization. Those are skills that I use at school too. The main way that I do that is using planners, creating a schedule and timestamps of what to do and how to do it.”
“This is something that I did at my most recent two co-op terms at TD Bank and RGA anytime that I had multiple tasks at once. Just being able to keep track of how much time I spent on each task, keeping track of what is difficult so that I can then further ask my manager any questions is beneficial.”
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“I think it’s important to first try to navigate challenges on your own, and then later ask a manager or co-worker if you couldn’t manage it. A lot of co-op students either ask too many questions or not enough questions. I find that having a good way of organizing your challenges and the assignments that you have is also a good way to balance your manager's time as well as what you need to know.”
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How do you stand out from other co-op students when you're applying and interviewing for jobs?
“A big thing is confidence, honestly. It's important, having the mindset of a two-way interview because I think the confidence that you have in an interview really projects onto the other person. Being able to really show who you are in a very authentic way is the most important thing.”
“I think what is a struggle for a lot of people is just being very overwhelmed or caught up in the specific questions that will be asked in an interview. The problem with structuring your answers is that you can get caught up in having a very scripted answer that doesn't sound as authentic.”
“I enter interviews having recently read over my résumé and what I have learned from my most recent jobs. The exact questions that I get asked I find I'm able to answer based on how I feel in the moment, instead of having a scripted answer. I think that also allows me to be more authentic and able to navigate the question better in a way to continue the conversation.”
“I find it valuable to have a lot of energy, get a good sleep the night before and do some research about the company beforehand. The company wants to know that you know a little bit about them, but you’re also then able to check if the company aligns with your values. If you don't do any research on the company beforehand, how will you know if the company is a good fit for you? I think that doing some research beforehand is useful for both the employer and for yourself.”
What have you gained from your experiences that you will carry with you into the future?
“Being able to recognize the importance of relationships in the workplace is something that I will take with me. That's something that I'm very appreciative to have co-op for because we only have four-month time intervals in these positions to try out the job and the company, instead of being locked in for a year or more.”
“I think it’s valuable to recognize a good company culture and good people around me, like employers and other co-op students. When I do interviews, I will do a vibe check on the interviewer to make sure that I could mesh well with the person interviewing me, as they tend to be the direct supervisor.”
What's next for you?
“I'm traveling a lot in the next three months, doing my best to explore as much of Europe while I'm in Germany; it's a lot easier to explore Europe when you're already in it.”
“I will be going to New York right after this term, so just going through a lot of extra work of getting a visa, finding a place to live, opening an American bank account, getting a Social Security number - there's just so many things that go into a U.S. co-op term that you don’t have to go through in a Canadian one. I’m excited to learn more about actuarial science in an American context.”
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