Previously in January, an article on the Interview Experiences for Internship was posted, this article serves as
a follow up to the post. Recently, the first batch of Sunway University
Actuarial Studies third year students who underwent a 3-month internship
between December 2014 and March 2015 have returned to the campus. In this
article, we have compiled the post internship responses of 3 students who were
attached to companies in various industries. The first student is Hazel Hiew
who was attached to Actuarial Partners. Next is Megan Tee who interned in an
investment bank, Hong Leong Investment Bank. Lastly, we have Queenie Woon who
went to ML Reinsurance, a reinsurance company. They were required to answer 4
questions and their responses are as follows:
1) How do you feel about
your internship experience?
Hazel:I
feel that this experience gave me useful insight into the actuarial industry,
as far as consultancy firms go. I was exposed to real-life insurance products
and actuarial asset management, and I got to see how actuarial and financial
theories are applied in the real world.
Megan: The internship experience was very rewarding in terms of
exposure and life experience. It was a precious chance to be able to work in non-actuarial
related industry (investment banking) and got exposed to the real world
financial market and meeting top managements of public listed companies. I have
learned a lot of soft skills throughout my internship.
Queenie: It was a great experience for me. I’ve improved my software
skills and learnt a lot of new things from my internship. My internship
experience made me a better one. Last but not the least, this experience will
definitely be useful in my future.
2) Does internship help
you in determining your future career path?
Hazel: Yes, because the internship allowed me to experience a portion
of work life in the actuarial industry.
Megan: The internship did not really help me to
decide where I really want to be but I have at least 'tested waters' in the
investment banking industry and know what it takes to be in that industry which
is useful for future consideration.
Queenie: Internship offers me a chance to experience a prospective career
path. By the time of graduation, I will have confidence that the degree I am
receiving is the right one.
3) What is the difference
between study and working environment?
Hazel: In terms of the work itself, the main difference is the fact
that in university/when studying, all the relevant information is provided to
us, ready to use. However, in reality, most of the information needed to do
actuarial calculations and analysis is not easy to obtain. So, there is a heavy
reliance on assumptions when modelling.In terms of environment, university
students have much more freedom as they usually have breaks in between classes.
They are not required to stay in an office for most of the day. Overall,
student life is much more easygoing than that of a working adult.
Megan:
Study environment is more relaxing compared to the working environment because
as a student, we have more free time for various activities. As for working
environment, it is more mentally and physically exhausting as you would need to
be in the office for at least 8 to 9 hours a day assuming you don't need to go
out for meetings with clients/field trips. You'd have lesser time for personal
matters and you'd appreciate your weekends more.
Queenie: In real working environment, we couldn’t expect to have full
supervision on certain task. Most of the time, we have to solve the problem by
ourselves.
4) Does internship
motivate you to study when you are back to campus?
Hazel: Yes. Through this internship, I saw how the theories we learnt
were applied. This shed a new light on the actuarial studies subjects. Also,
there were some new theories and assumptions that I learnt of during the
internship that pique my interest.
Megan: Internship
does motivate me to study more in uni to build up more knowledge and well equip
myself for workforce. Furthermore, internship does motivate me to do more
readings regardless of subjects/topics to enhance general knowledge.
Queenie: After experiencing working life, studying is better and easier
compared to working. Hence, I will appreciate my remaining time as a student
and it motivates me to study harder.
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