7/23/25

Hello Blog Readers!

It’s been a while, and I left the blog on quite the cliffhanger last autumn! Don’t worry. I am happy to report that all is well.

Long story short, I locked in. I spent the past 9 months teaching my heart out while taking and passing the actuarial qualifying exams in statistics and financial mathematics (now I’m studying for my higher level exam in machine learning which I take in September). Before I knew it, it was the end of the school year – and after a (maybe) tearful Mr. Taylor said farewell to yet another amazing group of students from various Mr. Taylor classes, I found myself at a bit of a cross roads…

You see, my sister and brother-in-law were heading out on an epic Summer journey through the entire country of Italy; and while by all intents and purposes it looks like that trip ended up being the trip of a lifetime (and certainly would have made this travel blog the travel site of dreams), my gut was telling me to decline the trip and stay here in Nebraska to start networking towards the actuary career I was working towards. So…with this blog’s travel-hopes dashed for the summer, I started networking the entire cities of Omaha and Lincoln like I have never networked before. It wasn’t long before I found myself sharing coffees with actuaries at firms throughout the city, followed by the chair of UNL’s actuary department, and finally with corporate executives from major American companies.

Until by the end of June I found myself in a hiring process with two well-known American corporations: Pacific Life and (the insurance wing of) Berkshire Hathaway. After going through more interviews than I’ve ever gone through in my life (when did companies start doing the six round of interview thing!?), I am happy to report that today I accepted an offer letter from Pacific Life for employment as an actuarial analyst here in the City of Omaha. I am still a long ways from the lifestyle of the senior level actuaries who split their time between our Midwest campus here in Omaha and our Southern California campus in Newport Beach, but that’s the thing. It could now be my future. I have spent time conversing with the very sort of actuaries who do just that. My life is now one with work tied to both my homes of Nebraska and California, and I could not be more excited for the future. AMDG 😊

While awaiting this happy news, I took my mom and our family dog Teddy to the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City (hence the title of this blog entry). We got Teddy last year, right around when I moved back here. He was sickly at first and the runt of his litter, then he grew into a spaz last winter, before becoming his adorable self today. Incredibly smart, loyal, and friendly, he’s become like a little brother to me and I do my best to make sure that he has happy, adventure-filled days.

Anyways, Nebraska City is one of my favorite getaways from Omaha. Less than an hour drive from the city and the home of Arbor Day, it brings you to a place of endless farms, lodges, old mansions, history, gardens, and orchards. A perfect retreat while awaiting news on a job. Teddy seemed to like his day there too.

If you ever find yourself in Nebraska and craving an upscale, rural getaway then I highly recommend you check this place out! Unfortunately, this will have to suffice for my travel blog entry though. Given the recent news and events, I feel like it may be some time before this blog gets updated again. Instead, after this almost year long hermitage and transformation in my career, it’s now time to find my home here in the city, reconnect with old friends who are probably wondering what the heck happened to me, and truly use my math brain and get to work! The future is SO bright, and I am so excited to see what comes next. 🤓

Until next time.

Cheers,

Rob