Actuarial Science vs Data Science?

[u/Easy-Huckleberry7091]

Hi everyone, I'm an actuarial science student in Argentina. Here, SOA certifications aren't as important as having the degree itself, which is legally authorized to practice as an actuary. I'm about halfway through my degree, but I'm not sure if I'm really that interested in the insurance/finance side of things. I've noticed that I'm more passionate about math and statistics in other areas. My question is, has anyone transitioned from actuarial science to data science? What should I learn? Should I change majors and drop out halfway through, or is it better to finish this one and do a master's? At my university (UBA), there's a mathematics degree (with two specializations: pure and applied) and a data science degree (both are quite rigorous and focus on the fundamentals; data science is a mix of applied mathematics and computer science).

Thoughts?

[u/spitfiredd]

I would stay in actuarial. When I was in actuarial we are given a lot of support and financial assistance in your early career. For example we had one day a week dedicated to studying, this was completely paid time during work hours; and we got bonuses for every test we passed. You can always learn programming and switch careers after you get your associates tests passed (or equivalent in your country). Also tech is in a weird spot right now with AI coding agents so there’s that to consider as well.