"I love economics and I was looking for a way I could apply that knowledge beyond just my studies. I liked the financial aspects of the actuarial profession and for me, one of the biggest attractions was that there were so many different areas to go into depending on your interests, like health and the environment.

I work for Scottish Widows - I started out in financial modelling which involved interaction with lots of different teams. Now I'm working in with-profits which is very specialised. I contribute to the calculation of regular bonuses for with-profits policies.

A typical day begins with reviewing investment returns and monitoring payout levels to ensure they are within set limits. I also work on requests to value customers' pensions, by taking account of how much they have received already and how much their money has grown. The rest of my day is spent working on calculations needed for generating bonus rates.

The exams are difficult, you need plenty of perseverance and dedication, but you do get good support. Scottish Widows are very flexible about study - they pay for the cost of my exams, tutorials and revision books.

I work in an open plan office and everybody is really helpful, the senior managers are very approachable and it's fun to go into work. I actually moved to Edinburgh for the job and have made loads of friends with actuarial students at other companies or in the Faculty society."