You can’t work as an actuary without taking enough courses in that field. Do not assume things about different fields. Actuarial Science is found in the Business School and does include some advanced-beyond calculus- math courses (they struggle while the math majors excel in the same course from what I heard about one in each who were friends) but a computer science degree is not sufficient for knowing what an actuary needs to know. There often is overlap in coursework for different majors but there is a reason the majors are different- none are subsets of others.
There is a reason colleges and universities have breadth requirements- for all courses of study not just the liberal arts (btw- just got my annual UW Letters and Sciences mailing that discussed that field- it does include math and science, not just social studies and humanities). And learning about Descartes and other philosophers is not the only mark of an educated person- there are countless ways to do so.
Something that bothers me is the ability to get college credit for “life experiences”, especially it seems at some of those for profit schools that are job oriented. Part of an education is studying something outside of normal, every day living. This would include literature classes, science classes et al that add structure to a topic. I think it is great to have AP classes but I also think students that are able to take fewer courses outside their field of interest in college because they use AP courses to meet breadth requirements are missing the college versions- especially at the schools with much above the AP courses’ contents (I guess the same could be said for students who meet many requirements at a lesser school then finish the degree at a much more prestigious school- including flagship U’s).
Today’s world seems to emphasize the financial rewards of college instead of the education received. Hence all of the for profit schools. An RN has professional qualifications while the BSN degree includes the college education as well.
What IS the point of college? The answer varies with the person asked. Some are in college just to get a higher paying job. Some want the knowledge without regard to practical considerations. I suspect most want both. And- I’ll bet most high school seniors don’t really know why they’re planning on college except that it’s expected of them.