Alpha Centauri 2

Community => Recreation Commons => Topic started by: Yitzi on December 30, 2016, 05:27:58 PM

Title: Request for help
Post by: Yitzi on December 30, 2016, 05:27:58 PM

I'm having some trouble: I'm looking for a job (actuarial is preferable as I've already passed two of the exams, but programming would be good too), but it's difficult to get any interviews with no experience and few contacts (I'm a nerd and don't have much of a social life).  So given that this site hosts the biggest thing I've done, I'm wondering if anybody on these forums happens to know any contacts that might be relevant.

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Unorthodox on December 30, 2016, 06:28:38 PM

Whereabouts?

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: gwillybj on December 31, 2016, 01:16:03 PM

There is a site called LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/) that might or might not be of interest. They call themselves the World's Largest Professional Network. At the bottom of their homepage are some links to information you can read before deciding whether to sign up.

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Yitzi on January 01, 2017, 03:22:54 PM

Quote from: Unorthodox on December 30, 2016, 06:28:38 PM

Whereabouts?

Preferably New York, but I'm pretty flexible.  (The Bay Area isn't workable, though.)

Quote from: gwillybj on December 31, 2016, 01:16:03 PM

There is a site called LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/) that might or might not be of interest. They call themselves the World's Largest Professional Network. At the bottom of their homepage are some links to information you can read before deciding whether to sign up.

Thanks, but I've already signed up and I'm looking for other approaches as well.

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: E_T on January 01, 2017, 07:15:00 PM

just keep working at it

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Elok on January 01, 2017, 07:35:48 PM

You say you've passed two of the exams; how many are there total?  I know a guy who's an actuary, but I only know that he had to go through some serious testing to become certified.  Are you a fully qualified actuary now, or two-thirds there, or what?

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Yitzi on January 01, 2017, 11:46:26 PM

Quote from: Elok on January 01, 2017, 07:35:48 PM

You say you've passed two of the exams; how many are there total?  I know a guy who's an actuary, but I only know that he had to go through some serious testing to become certified.  Are you a fully qualified actuary now, or two-thirds there, or what?

There's quite a way to go, but most of the process is done while employed as an actuary.

But if you know a guy who's an actuary, maybe it would be worth it for me to speak with him.  Where does he live?

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Elok on January 02, 2017, 01:24:26 AM

In Northern Virginia (i.e., basically DC), I believe.  I know him from Apolyton, met him once IRL, keep in touch via Facebook.  I can ask him for advice if you like.

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Elok on January 02, 2017, 01:35:13 AM

He says that, right out of school, he basically shotgunned his resume at every actuarial firm in the DC area.  I think that might be encouraging news from your POV.

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Unorthodox on January 03, 2017, 03:02:13 PM

Quote from: Elok on January 02, 2017, 01:35:13 AM

He says that, right out of school, he basically shotgunned his resume at every actuarial firm in the DC area.  I think that might be encouraging news from your POV.

Another avenue would be to target the military industrial complex for job titles such as "financial analyst". 

Glancing at the corporate website says there's half a dozen such jobs in the NY area.  At least 2 of them entry levelish.  I'm sure other companies would have similar results.  I'm not sure which all have big headquarters in NY, but ALL have presences in the greater DC area.   

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Yitzi on January 19, 2017, 09:26:41 PM

Quote from: Elok on January 02, 2017, 01:35:13 AM

He says that, right out of school, he basically shotgunned his resume at every actuarial firm in the DC area.  I think that might be encouraging news from your POV.

"Shotgunned" as in "didn't even include a cover letter", or as in "wrote a full targeted application to each one"?  The former doesn't really seem to work very well, and the latter involves the sort of lots-of-nonproductive-work that I'd like to avoid.

Also, did he have an actuarial internship coming out of school?  Part of my disadvantage is that I don't, so that makes it harder to get a resume looked at without connections.

Also...if he's a Civ gamer, I'm wondering if he'd be impressed by my patch here.  If he would, maybe I should contact him directly.

Quote from: Unorthodox on January 03, 2017, 03:02:13 PM

Another avenue would be to target the military industrial complex for job titles such as "financial analyst". 

Glancing at the corporate website says there's half a dozen such jobs in the NY area.  At least 2 of them entry levelish.  I'm sure other companies would have similar results.  I'm not sure which all have big headquarters in NY, but ALL have presences in the greater DC area.   

Leaving aside that I think "financial analyst" is the financial industrial complex rather than the military industrial one (both  ;morgan; and  ;santi; are likely to be offended at the comparison  :P), it seems to me that a financial analyst job would have all the obstacles of an actuarial job, without even the advantage of having aced the first few exams.

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Unorthodox on January 20, 2017, 03:18:02 AM

Risk management is a huge part of government contracting, and what the finance department does.  Seriously.  Check into Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Thiokol, ATK, etc.  they just call it financial analyst instead of actuary.  And all would likely pay for you to finish the rest of your tests.

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Yitzi on January 20, 2017, 03:30:15 AM

Quote from: Unorthodox on January 20, 2017, 03:18:02 AM

Risk management is a huge part of government contracting, and what the finance department does.  Seriously.  Check into Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Thiokol, ATK, etc.  they just call it financial analyst instead of actuary.  And all would likely pay for you to finish the rest of your tests.

Ah, thanks.  Any idea how feasible it is to get a job of that sort after being denied top secret clearance for a different job?

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 20, 2017, 04:29:27 AM

I wish the opinion of some guy on the internets was worth anything Yitzi - I'd hire you on the spot.  You're inhumanly meticulous with details, generous with your time and effort on behalf of this community - and you've proved, over time, to be level-headed and loyal.  Not least impressive is that you're a self-starter who'll take on a big project with a steep learning curve, and stick with it for years on end.

For what that's worth, I may just be some guy you know on the nets; but you taught yourself from scratch and did the YitziPatch; you can do anything, and you can certainly figure out a solution to this.

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Yitzi on January 20, 2017, 12:05:40 PM

Quote from: BUncle on January 20, 2017, 04:29:27 AM

I wish the opinion of some guy on the internets was worth anything Yitzi - I'd hire you on the spot.  You're inhumanly meticulous with details, generous with your time and effort on behalf of this community - and you've proved, over time, to be level-headed and loyal.  Not least impressive is that you're a self-starter who'll take on a big project with a steep learning curve, and stick with it for years on end.

For what that's worth, I may just be some guy you know on the nets; but you taught yourself from scratch and did the YitziPatch; you can do anything, and you can certainly figure out a solution to this.

Unfortunately, my ability to "do anything" seems limited to cases where the solution is based on logic, not cases where the solution is based on convincing other people and just trying things that don't work over and over again...

Title: Re: Request for help
Post by: Unorthodox on January 23, 2017, 03:29:09 PM

Quote from: Yitzi on January 20, 2017, 03:30:15 AM

Quote from: Unorthodox on January 20, 2017, 03:18:02 AM

Risk management is a huge part of government contracting, and what the finance department does.  Seriously.  Check into Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Thiokol, ATK, etc.  they just call it financial analyst instead of actuary.  And all would likely pay for you to finish the rest of your tests.

Ah, thanks.  Any idea how feasible it is to get a job of that sort after being denied top secret clearance for a different job?

Depends on why you were denied and the job/contract you're going to be working.  Generally, secret clearance is the most that would be required for the financials, with some not requiring even that.  TS is usually reserved for working on the actual assets, and again, usually only very specific parts of an asset.  Security is 90% compartmentalization, and the financials are fairly low tier to the security of the nation compared to, say, the encryption software on military comm equipment.