Alfred Watson Memorial Lecture: The outlook for the liberal professions

Abstract

I have always had a healthy and perhaps wary respect for actuaries since I was interviewed by the ‘Scottish Widows’ in Edinburgh after finishing my studies at Edinburgh University in 1949. During this interview, people were pointed out to me who were still trying to pass their examinations after 19 years and, when I saw what the examination syllabus included, reason took over and I decided to go down the easier path of accountancy.