A Few Words from the CAS Admissions Staff Actuary, Wesley Griffiths
Could you talk about an initiative you are passionate about within the CAS?
I’m very passionate about the job task analysis that is underway, and how that will be used to set the stage for changes to the education and syllabus in the future. Think of a job task analysis as a clear description of what people do and know when completing a task. To make sure our credential is preparing our members for what they do on the job, we need to ask our members directly and then do what actuaries do best — analyze the data. We leveraged the views of a group of new Associates and new Fellows to help us design surveys and sent those surveys to all members in late May.
The survey results will help us create a future education blueprint, and thus an exam blueprint; these results will delineate the percentage of exams that should represent content areas based on what is most critical for actuaries in their roles. It’s an important foundational exercise for a credentialing organization, and I’m super pumped to have been a part of the process. I learned so much and found it incredibly valuable.
Where do you think the CAS has the greatest opportunity to grow?
I see incredible opportunities for CAS members to continue developing their skillset and influence in the data science field. Actuaries were the first data scientists in insurance; however, they are now seeing competition from others who have more technical skill but, at times, less business context. What may have been a “nice-to-have” skill for actuaries over the past 10 years is becoming table stakes.
Where does the CAS come in? We need to help future actuaries gain these skills through the credentialing process (exams, experiences) and to support existing members in learning new skills through our programming and services.
How has COVID-19 shifted some of the focuses within the CAS?
COVID-19 has forced the CAS to challenge its ways of thinking and doing things. Our core offerings (exams, seminars, meetings, committee work) were all affected in different ways and required pivots.
In the case of exams, we had to cancel the Spring sitting altogether, which was not an easy decision for us to arrive at given how much is at stake for candidates. We immediately turned our attention to the Fall sitting to make sure that an infrastructure is in place to offer exams, whether it be in the traditional format or through a remote option, should we continue to be affected by the pandemic. Our new partnership with Pearson VUE, a pioneer in the computer-based testing industry, will position us very well in the future to respond to emerging situations like this.
What do you like to do in your free time during quarantine and what did you do before quarantine?
Great question! Where have the last few months gone? I’ve been remodeling my main floor, including the kitchen, since the holidays. It’s not 100% done as I paused the work during the quarantine, but I’m very close. So, putting my house back together has been a big focus of mine. I have two dogs, so I do a lot of walking in the neighborhood in Saint Paul. Yard work has also kept me busy and, sadly, so has a lot of binge-watching shows. I am thankful that the Minnesota weather has finally turned — now I can get outside more and enjoy the spring and summer seasons.
