John,

>>I'm more in favor of tough professional accreditations than advanced
>>degrees. Holding a degree in accounting, actuarial sciences, law, and
>>finance is not sufficient (and not always a pre-requisite) to bve called an
>>Chartered General Accountant, Associate of the Society of Actuaries,
>>Attorney, or Chartered Financiual Analyst respectively. These exams are
>>tough and may require years of studies (after graduation) and several
>>attempts before you pass.
>>

>But in order to sit for the exams, you usually have to have the
>educational requirements met.

Not necessarily. Everyone is allowed to sit for the acturial and charatered
financial analysts exams. The acturial exams are particularly expensive -
registration fee and study material - and typical require 10 hours of study
per credit for someone to have a chance of passing (50% passing rate). It
used to take 200 credits to obtain the ASA designation and 450 credits to
obtain the FSA but I know they changed th ecurriculum to make it even harder.

Obtaining the FSA (Fellow of the Society of Actuaries) typically requires 5
to 7 years of 500-1000 hours/year study after graduation. The designation
is very meaningful to employers ($30-60+K more per year).

Daniel