Actuarial Science at Illinois
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programming skills

R

 
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What is R?

R is a programming language designed for statistical computing. R is useful because it can effectively handle large arrays of data.

RStudio is an integrated development environment for R. It includes a console and tools such as plotting, history, debugging, and workspace management, and is highly recommended in order to get the most out of R.

What is its purpose?

R can be used for reserving, pricing, and capital modelling. It is helpful for data analysis and visualization.

Do I need to know this to get a job/internship?

R is a very common tool that actuaries use, though it is not used universally. If you are looking to improve your technical skills, R is a great programming language to add to your resume and could be very useful for future internships.

How can I set this up on my device?

Server vs. Desktop

RStudio Desktop works with the version of R installed on your local interface. It is a standalone desktop application that does not need to be connected to RStudio Server.

RStudio Server is a Linux server application that provides a web browser based interface to the version of R running on the server. By using RStudio Server, you can access RStudio via a web browser, share code more easily, and have centralized installation for R packages. 

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