This is an on-demand course designed for actuaries to improve your technical skills. When you register for this course you will gain access to the following items (except as noted) from the day you register for 12 months.
An overview of our Technical Skills Course
The Technical Skills Course will introduce you to basic software used by actuaries. After completing the course, you will be more competent with the software covered. You will also gain a technical foundation that you can reference in job interviews and build on throughout your career.
Why take TSC?
- This course is ideally suited for anyone with limited or no experience using Excel, VBA and SQL in an actuarial job setting
- Unlike other software training courses, the Technical Skills Course has a distinct actuarial focus
- This course has already helped thousands of other actuaries become more proficient in technical skills
Topics Covered
- Basic & Intermediate Excel for Actuaries
- Excel VBA for Actuaries
- SQL for Actuaries
- Introduction to R and Python for Actuaries
What is in the course?
- Lectures in each module with instructor commentary that simplifies difficult concepts
- An actuarial focused project for each module to test you new skills
- Video solutions for each project along with commentary on the proper method to solve them.
- Bonus Material
TIA Study
TIA Study
A Modern Learning Platform
- Lessons, practice problems, flashcards, sample exams, and more all scheduled to have you ready on exam day
- Tasks scheduled only on the days you plan to study
- Create your own custom tasks
- Miss a day? Your schedule will automatically redistribute all your remaining tasks
Cedean Kematick
- FSA, MAAA, ChFC, MBA |
- Technical Skills Course
A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas (BS, Applied Mathematics) and Eastern University (MBA), Cedean earned his FSA in 2018 and joined Infinite Actuary shortly thereafter. He serves as the Technical Skills Instructor for TIA, while also volunteering in an exam writing and grading capacity with the SOA. His specialized area of interest is the application of actuarial science in investments for financial planning.
Cedean lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas, with his wife Ashley and children Johan and Estelle. He is an avid fan and participant in all things games and sports.
Expanded Features
Comprehensive video lessons covering all the topics that simplify complicated info into more understandable terms and illustrate important concepts through examples and graphics.
Active dedicated course forum. Instructors and our Support Team try to ensure everyone's questions are answered in a timely manner.
This course includes actuarial projects with each project having a video solution walking you through the best way to solve it. These projects are created to give you a true sense of what you can expect in an actuarial setting.
Take our videos with you everywhere you go and don't worry about a data cap or WiFi signal. Use the TIA Study app on your mobile device to download lessons or solutions videos and have them right at your fingertips. ?
Watch our lessons and video solutions at your pace! When watching our videos on a desktop or our Learn App you can select the speed that makes the most sense for you. The variable speed increases all the way up to 2x.
This course requires you to have access to Microsoft Excel.
This course offers a student discount to full-time students currently enrolled at a college or university. To receive the discount, click here. The discount code will then be sent to the school issued email. ?
Just want to listen to our lessons? We have you covered! Now when you download the TIA Study app on an iOS or Android device, you can start a video and simply lock your device and the audio will continue to play.
You're never alone with The Infinite Actuary. Get help from your instructor and assistants in our online forum. Anything else you need help with, not related to the course material, just reach out to our customer service team and they will get your questions answered!
You will have access to all TSC material for 12 full months from the date of purchase. There are no free extensions offered with this course.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I obtain a student discount?
- I do not have Microsoft Office on my computer. Am I able to participate in the course?
- I do not have SAS on my computer. Am I able to participate in the course?
- I have no prior knowledge of Excel, Programming, Access, and SQL. Will I still benefit from the course?
- I have good knowledge and experience in Excel and Access, will I benefit from the course?
- Can I take this course if I use Excel for Mac?
- Can I share my account with others?
- The videos aren't working on my personal computer. What can I do?
- The videos will not play on my work PC. What can I do?
- Can I download the videos to my hard drive so that I can view them without an Internet connection?
- Why can I not download the PDFs? I always get an error message or an empty zip file.
- My 12 month access is about to run out, do you offer an extension?
How can I obtain a student discount?
Any full time college student can obtain a 50% discount off the online material for the Technical Skills Course. To receive a discount code, you can send an email to [email protected] from your college email address. Please be sure to include in your email which course you would like the discount for. This will help us to give you the correct code in a timely manner.
I do not have Microsoft Office on my computer. Am I able to participate in the course?
Yes. Download a free trial of Microsoft Office here which includes Excel and Access.
I do not have SAS on my computer. Am I able to participate in the course?
Yes. You can obtain fully functional SAS software for free though SAS OnDemand for Academics.
I have no prior knowledge of Excel, Programming, Access, and SQL. Will I still benefit from the course?
Absolutely! We assume you have no prior knowledge. The goal is to give you a foundation so you can easily apply your new skill set in a future situation. This course is designed for you.
I have good knowledge and experience in Excel and Access, will I benefit from the course?
Since we start from the ground up to teach these skills, the lectures may be a review for you. BUT you will definitely test your skills through the assignments to see how Actuaries would use these tools. Plus the lectures may shine light on something you haven't thought about before. You'll then be able to speak about these tools in Actuarial language.
Can I take this course if I use Excel for Mac?
Yes! However, the Mac version does not have Access and may have some limitations. A good option if you use a Mac is to install a copy of Windows through VirtualBox (free) or Parallels (paid). Then you can install the full Office Suite using Windows and take advantage of this entire course! Here is a YouTube Video that shows you how to install VirtualBox and Windows on your Mac.
Can I share my account with others?
No, we do not allow sharing of accounts. Each registered user should take measure to avoid this as he or she has purchased the rights to our videos and associated bandwidth. If non-paying customers clog up our website traffic, it will negatively impact everyone. We also monitor login histories and have the authority to terminate user accounts for this type of abuse. While the gesture of sharing your account information with a friend or coworker may seem innocent, it can have far-reaching negative implications for you and other legitimate users.
The videos aren't working on my personal computer. What can I do?
You can try the suggestions listed here. Likely, these suggestions will solve the problem you are experiencing: (1) Try a different web browser. We suggest using Firefox for the best results with our website. Other browsers will work but make sure you are using the newest version of the browser. (2) Download the newest version of the movie player that you are using (Windows Media Player, Flash or QuickTime). (3) If one movie player does not work, try the other. (4) Test your bandwidth at the following site. Make sure it is at least 700kbps. Bandwidth Place | Internet Speed Test. (5) Clear the CACHE on your computer by clicking the "CTRL" and "F5" buttons at the same time. (6) Try clearing your browsers cookies. How to delete cookies. (7) Make sure your operating system has all its important updates. If you're on a Mac, run Software Update from your Apple menu (or Mac App Store if you're running OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion or newer). If you're on Windows, click the following link. Microsoft Windows Update. (8) If you are using third-party web browsers like Firefox, make sure you're running the latest version. (9) The previous suggestions should help. However, if you are still unable to open the videos please let customer service know what error message you receive and we will be happy to look further into your situation.
The videos will not play on my work PC. What can I do?
Usually, this is the result of your employer's network placing some restrictions in the company's firewall settings. You need to make sure that there is no block placed on the domain ( edgecastcdn.net ) from where our videos are streamed. Many employers will block sites like these to restrict video content from being streamed to their employee's PCs. Edgecast is a Content Delivery Network where we store all of our content. This network distributes our content to multiple servers all across the world so that if any one server goes down, there are plenty of backups in place. Websites like YouTube use their own CDNs and as a result, CDNs are not high on company's approved website lists. Feel free to call Tech Support (877-883-5275) if you need any further help.
Can I download the videos to my hard drive so that I can view them without an Internet connection?
Our videos are only viewable while logged in and connected to the Internet. While we realize the convenience of having all the files on your local drive, it also puts our company's assets at jeopardy. Our instructors spend hours upon hours creating the content for you. It would only take a few students, who illegally share their material with others, to discourage instructors from ever producing any more content. We do try to make our videos as accessible as possible by offering them in three different formats (Windows Media, Flash and QuickTime) and even through devices like the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Given the global accessibility to the World Wide Web, we believe that the majority of the actuarial population will be able to view our videos without trouble. However, we do understand the need to study on the go and that internet access is not always accessible. You have two options: (1) Download the MP3 versions of the lessons and follow along in your notes. (2) Open the TIA site and let the video fully load before you leave, but do not press play. Just close the lid on your laptop and leave the browser open. When you are ready to watch the video just open the laptop and press play.
Why can I not download the PDFs? I always get an error message or an empty zip file.
Some computer networks are configured to not allow opening of zip files directly from an external site. Many of our downloadable files are in zip format. After clicking on the link, you should be given an option to either open or save the file. Try saving the file to your hard drive and then opening the zip file from there. You can also try right-clicking on the link and choosing the "Save Link As" option. If those do not work, then please contact customer service. They will determine if the link is incorrect or the file is missing from its proper location. At the minimum, they can email you the needed files so that you can move on with your studying.
My 12 month access is about to run out, do you offer an extension?
Yes, we do offer a one year extension for half the price you paid originally for the course. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to pay for an extension. Roger frequently updates the Technical Skills Course with new content so your extension purchase is well worth it.
What is the difference between the Technical Skills Course (TSC) and the Database Theory and Practice for Actuarial Analysis Course?
The Technical Skills Course was made for the high school student, college student, recent college graduate, and the career changer who is looking to enter the actuarial field or recently was hired in an entry-evel actuarial position. TSC teaches the fundamental technical skills required for many entry-level actuarial jobs and internships including Excel, Access, VBA, SQL, and SAS, Each technical skill is applied to a variety of actuarial projects. The Database Theory and Practice for Actuarial Analysis Course dives deeper into SQL programming and database theory/design.
Can I purchase my next online seminar without knowing if I passed my last exam?
Yes. If you later find out that you didn't pass your last exam, simply email us at [email protected], and we will pause access to your new online seminar. This will preserve your new online seminar allowing you to study for your last exam again. When you are ready to resume the paused online seminar, just email us, and we will reactivate it. You will have access to all current materials (same as anyone else using the online seminar at that time).