Insurance: "It Is Not your Parent's Career"
In honor of Insurance Careers Month!
I have yet to meet anyone that entered the insurance industry intentionally. However, in my experience that should change today, as a career in insurance is incredibly rewarding and full of interesting challenges and growth opportunities. My own career in the insurance industry started with a wicked wrong turn. I entered the industry thinking I would only do it for a year or two, and as my wife reminds me all the time, ten years later I was appointed to serve as Commissioner of Insurance in the state of Iowa. My path in the industry is full of crazy twists, more bizarre turns and interesting events than I could have ever imagined. Not a day goes by where I do not think about how lucky I am that I ended up in the insurance industry. The best part of all is that now it is an even better and more interesting time to enter the industry.
The insurance industry is undergoing the largest transformation since the 17th Century. Technology is driving this transformation. The industry is full of interesting jobs and opportunities that are worth looking at and many of these jobs did not even exist back when I entered the industry. In addition to some cutting edge opportunities and ability to help transform and industry, the industry offers endless opportunities for professional development and growth. The industry is full of great people willing to offer assistance and mentoring. The focus on meeting demands for customers and need to transform will lead the industry to new heights. All of this adds up to insurance being a great industry to build a career.
Insurance companies are working on many cutting edge technologies during this transformation. Companies are using drones and supporting software and analytics to price risk, adjudicate claims and serve customers better. Companies are now deploying state of the art technology to help lower auto rates through usage based insurance. Customer engagement tools are being developed and put into production every day. The industry is quickly transforming and full of opportunities. Within an insurance company people focus on technology, sales and marketing, finance, actuarial science, data science, investments, customer service and many other administrative functions. The industry literally offers something for everyone and endless opportunities for development and mobility.
Now is the time to enter the industry. The retirement wave is about to crest and these opportunities are up for grabs. Take the plunge like I did, the water is great!
Employee and Executive Communications | Internal and External Affairs
6 年Nick Gerhart Your opening line made me laugh - I graduated with a degree in political science and yet ended up working for Nationwide for nine years right out of school. Once you learn insurance is really an opportunity to purchase "security" on (or against) any number of things, it changes entirely how you think about the industry, how you sell the product to consumers and ultimately why insurance is not only important but necessary. I believe it was Mark Pizzi who taught me that and I never forgot it.
Project Management Assistant specializing in Insurance Compliance at AssuredPartners
6 年I was introduced to the Insurance Industry after 20 yrs in food service management; Chubb was an amazing company that provided me with the tools, training and experience to achieve the position I am in now. My daughters have joined me, keeping it in the family (lucky them?!, lol!)
I fell into it after 32 years of operations in a precision aircraft manufacturing company, who would have ever guessed.