I want to be an Insurance Agent when I grow up!

[hiddenmuse]

I think if you were to ask anyone that works in the insurance business if they wanted to be an insurance agent/underwriter/broker/whatever when they grew up - they'd laugh in your face.

Most of us had loftier aspirations - I'm sure a couple of us may have even been slightly delusional. We planned to be teachers, psychologists, businessowners, writers, homemakers - anything but insurance professionals. I'm sure that there are a few that wanted to be rock stars, professional athletes or movie stars ... only to have reality come around and crash the party. (We'd never be called "amateurs", because I don't think any of us truly love our work.)


I think that in many instances, Insurance is an "accidental" career (no pun intended, mind you). For some, it comes about from a Want Ad offering a Customer Service job with State Farm/Farmer's or some other company, where they hire in fresh meat, get it licensed, and lord that fact over its head for the next 3-5 years ... before working it into the ground, or kicking it to the curb, in favor of even fresher meat.

For others, its like being sucked into a vortex. You start out just working in the periphery of the business (as I did, for several years), even if you're in the mailroom all day or an assistant file clerk - then end up deciding to get licensed and join the ranks of the bordeline insane, simultaneously respected and reviled ... the Insurance Geek. You get to impress - and bore the hell out of - your friends with your knowledge.

And you can even incur the wrath of total strangers that were screwed over by some anonymous Middle Finger of Adam Smith at their insurance carrier, when they had the nerve to file a claim - "A claim! Isn't that what insurance is for? To protect you against this sort of thing? And not screw you over?!"

Yes, you get it all. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the uglier.

And no matter how many times you threaten to quit your job and become a professional misanthrope - you still go back to work, because for some odd reason, you actually like it. Besides, it beats being a psychologist any day - you can mock the clients, and they can't see it!

Comments

[cyndal.livejournal.com]

heheee My sister was sucked in at the tender age of 18. She was hired as a receptionist at my parent's State Farm agent's office. She almost obtained the rank of "agent" under him, but then moved to a fancy office in Atlanta and became a full blown agent. Now she owns her own business where she trains other State Farm agents and also charges exorbitant amounts to be a temp agent for other State Farm offices.