Zack Axelrod (graduated with B.A. Hons., Actuarial Science in 2017) had a spark of interest in becoming an Actuary early on in his life, and he researched the field as well as the employment prospects in it thoroughly before starting his university degree. “I learned that the field of Actuarial Science was quite competitive and warranting a job immediately upon graduation would require considerable and continuous effort. I then made it my goal to stand out as a candidate. That meant, first and foremost, I would have to choose the right school to study Actuarial Science. Then I would have to stick out in that school performance- and otherwise, and ultimately to excel on my actuarial exams,” says Zack.

In 2013 Zack chose to join the (back then) Actuarial Stream of the Mathematics for Commerce Program at York University to build his foundation as an Actuary. “It soon followed that the other steps in reaching my goals quickly fell in to place and it was during my third year studying Actuarial Science at YorkU that I was able to secure full time employment as an Actuarial Analyst with Sun Life Financial - one of Canada’s biggest and most renowned insurance companies,” exclaims Zack. “YorkU has not only given me the tools and resources to develop my analytical and technical skills as an Actuary but has also taught me to be unique and stand out in both school and the work place,” he adds.