4 Reasons Recent College Graduates Should Join the Insurance Industry

It’s the end of April. That means over the next month a huge group of college students hit graduation day and begin a new journey in their lives.

I have many friends who are graduating and I can already start to sense some panic about what lies for them after graduation. For many of my friends who do not have a clue what field they want to pursue, I often suggest the insurance industry. Aside from working in the industry and selfishly wanting to recruit some friends to join me in the field, I give my friends four other big reasons why they should join the insurance industry.

1. Opportunities

Simply said, the talent in the insurance industry is graying. It is estimated that nearly 60% of the insurance industry’s current employees are older than the age of 45 and that by the year 2020, there will be more than 400,000 job opportunities. Those are some substantial numbers and these numbers are on many insurance employers’ mind. The industry is hungry for young, driven talent to fill the pipelines before their current staff disappears. As a young professional, I see the endless opportunities in terms of future leadership roles in the industry. I suggest getting in early and soaking up as much knowledge as you can from many of these soon retiring professionals.

2. Job Security

Aside from the large amount of retiring professionals, the insurance industry provides a considerable amount of job security in my eyes. I don’t see insurance going away anytime soon. I think with the ever changing laws and regulations, I would happen to argue quite the opposite. No doubt the industry will have to evolve as risk change (e.g. self-driving cars), but risk assessors and risk advisors are here to stay.

3. Job Variety & Flexibility

Insurance is everywhere. You won’t be limited to a particular list of major cities when looking for a career in insurance and the industry offers an array of professions to pursue from analyzing the numbers as an actuary to the creatives that are fighting the marketing war that’s currently happening (side note: I’m personally a big fan of Flo from Progressive and Mayhem from Allstate). Every business has risk. Whatever your passion is, you can pursue it in the insurance field. Many sales and underwriting professionals in the industry pursue their interest specializing in advising for not-for-profit organizations, tech companies, medical professionals, breweries, etc. Being able to relate and understand how a business works is the essential feature of what makes an insurance professional great.

If you aren’t up for an intellectual challenge, I highly advise not pursuing a career in insurance. As I talked about earlier, laws and regulations are changing every day. With the vast amount of information to learn already, I hear it from everyone I work with; I learn something new every day. So if this is something that motivates you, come join the fun.

4. Altruism

I don’t believe there is anything more satisfying in the industry than the stories I hear about how insurance saved people’s livelihood. Some accidents are just unpredictable and whenever insurance companies step up and provide the financial support to rebuild someone’s home or business, it really reenergizes my dedication to the industry. The insurance companies who have stuck around for many years are those who are out to make a difference in their customer’s lives whenever those customers call needing help.