It’s Insurance Careers Month!

Martha Ducharme – MBA, CPCU

February 20, 2020

It’s Insurance Careers Month!

The month of February is viewed in the color red.  Red for heart health, red for Valentine’s Day…and I independently declare red for the high value career options within the insurance industry!  Not only is insurance offering great claims and underwriting positions, there is even more to offer with a strong emphasis on information and technology related options.

Have you read some of the tweets from fellow CPCU Members?  They are sharing their career experiences and could be a great fit into your professional network.  This link is just one example of many; https://twitter.com/MargueriteTort/status/1230227388430266368?s=20.[i]

It is always interesting to try to follow the career path; insurance careers have many twists and turns and most people will tell you that they never saw the insurance career coming…it just sort of happened.

For myself, insurance ended up being my major for my undergrad degree.  But I will admit that insurance was not my original plan.  My path took a twist and the potential positions from the insurance market sounded more interesting to me than counting numbers and remaining behind a desk.  Now don’t misunderstand me, numbers and desk time are important.  Today, my insurance career has me spending a lot of time with numbers but it is paired with opportunity to work with several individuals and organizations to interpret what the numbers contain.  I have one of those great positions within the analytics realm and I have the opportunity to help someone or an entire organization each day!

My career is rooted within claims, but has evolved over time.  Handling claims is a great option, there is always something new and I have even experienced the ability to help the organization grow.  Along the way I have found methods to incorporate technology into work in order to be more efficient, such as the transition over to electronic documentation and payments.  It seemed as though it would be a simple change, but for many it has taken time and effort to transform into the digital world.

The first thoughts on working in insurance are usually claims and underwriting positions.  The industry is truly much more robust, offering positions in areas such as real estate, marketing, engineering and technology.  One of the best pieces of advice for anyone is to just start in a position and look to move around the organization.  This will allow you to learn details to understand workflows and regulations that will be important.  You can always learn something new and there will always be a way to improve on what exists today.

When I speak with other CPCU Members and insurance related associates I find a common thread; people in insurance like helping other people.  It is interesting to read recent reports that highlight this factor.  There is always talk of the want of a flexible work schedule and Gorman speaks about this topic; noting that the want is not just for flexible schedules but also a flexible format.  Format could include working with many types of individuals in the organization or having options to de-stress with other interactive elements & participating in charitable programs.[ii]

Careers within insurance offer flexibility and constant change everywhere you turn.

• Be an agent or broker that helps someone find the appropriate coverage and company.
• Be the claim representative that helps someone in a dire time of need.
• Be the marketing representative that helps the agent find just the right product.
• Or join the technology team to be an agent for change, growth and development of the organization as a whole.

Last month I offered the challenge as a CPCU Member to step up our game, to increase our participation.  I hope that you begin to answer the challenge by sharing the benefits with others of having a career in insurance.  Or better yet, be a mentor to someone who really wants to learn, excel and to help others.

The insurance industry has many opportunities and there is no simple path, each route is unique and provides all sorts of options to help yourself and those around you.  Be the helper, find your career within insurance and help someone else find the same great opportunities that you have achieved.

Endnotes