It’s a good Monday. Take that first sentence in. I don’t say it often enough. I had my very first mid-year review at my new company today and found the guts to say to my manager that I would like to take a new position as an underwriter-trainee starting next summer (should it be offered next year and should they accept me). The training program lasts for one full year and then you’re transferred into an underwriter position. I’m so glad they take that much time to really teach you about your new position. I’m a great student and the idea of getting to do a type of “school” over again is exciting to me. Yeah I’m a nerd.
Anyway…he said that it would be okay for me to do that. He didn’t say that I need to stay in my position any longer or that I needed to learn more where I am now before I moved in a new direction. No. He just said that it was fine with him and that I should move in any direction I feel is best.
Let me just say…phew. Glad that is over! It’s hard for me say anything that might even possibly cause conflict. But I’ve been thinking about it long enough and if I’m going to stay here and I don’t want my current job to be my forever job then I have to make a change as soon as they will let me. So I did. Yay me! Everything else was okie dokie too. I have a great boss…who I’m afraid of losing actually…and he only had great things to say about me. There was no… “So what do YOU think your weaknesses are?” kind of talk.
So I think the next 9-10 months of my life will be about learning and transformation. If I’m going to do something and I’ve got this much time to prepare for it then I’m going to do it right. I’m currently job shadowing and taking online classes related to underwriting. This kind of position will help me to see a different side of insurance and be more in contact with our customers. I look forward to coming out of my shell a little and getting to know some different people. Also, insurance underwriting is more about the marking side of things and I look forward to being more creative. I’ll get to work with new customers when they want us as their carrier and not when they have experienced a loss the way I do now.
Okay okay… enough boring work talk. So tell me. Is it summer 2012 yet?
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Under writing
Today I met with someone in the Construction Underwriting department. It's a part of my attempt to explore as many career paths as possible. I do know one thing: I do NOT want to be a claims adjuster. My job is to pick up all the claim adjuster's slack so I get a front row seat to their work lives. There's a man here who comes in before me and leaves after me. He can't sleep well, his desk is a mess, and his phone is always ringing. His life is his work. It's a very scary thing that I don't want to be. Not everyone is like him but it's more of a stressful job that I don't really want to be involved in.
Underwriting is more laid back, more flexible, and you're not denying anyone money. You have to deny them business sometimes but they have other options. I have already made this clear to my boss but he knows I'm a good worker and I'm afraid he doesn't want to let me go as soon as I'd like to go. I'm only required to stay in one position for a year but I always hear him say, "After two years you might be starting to get ready for a move."
I find my self wanting to leave to find other work at times but my company is a good company and they've taught me that not all insurance companies are evil. They were a big help to our insureds in Joplin and to others by donations. When you work for a large company it's difficult to understand the direct impact your role has on others but people come to insurance companies when they have a need. Sometimes it's a small need-getting a car repaired. Sometimes it's a big need-rebuilding a home after tornado destruction. But they need us and they trust us to be there for them during that time. I'm glad I can be a part of that.
Underwriting is more laid back, more flexible, and you're not denying anyone money. You have to deny them business sometimes but they have other options. I have already made this clear to my boss but he knows I'm a good worker and I'm afraid he doesn't want to let me go as soon as I'd like to go. I'm only required to stay in one position for a year but I always hear him say, "After two years you might be starting to get ready for a move."
I find my self wanting to leave to find other work at times but my company is a good company and they've taught me that not all insurance companies are evil. They were a big help to our insureds in Joplin and to others by donations. When you work for a large company it's difficult to understand the direct impact your role has on others but people come to insurance companies when they have a need. Sometimes it's a small need-getting a car repaired. Sometimes it's a big need-rebuilding a home after tornado destruction. But they need us and they trust us to be there for them during that time. I'm glad I can be a part of that.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Evolving Self
Remember when you were little and the big people of the world looked down at you and said, "What do you want to be when you grow up?” And then you would answer without any doubt exactly what you were going to do. For me it was a marine biologist. I loved to swim and I loved animals and I wanted to be far away from home. As I got older I figured it would be more practical to go to school in town. MWSU, of course, doesn't have a program for Marine Biologists...so out went that dream. Isn't it always like that? We make decisions because of what's practical, or affordable, or reasonable and they're not always decisions that we make with passion. Well if you ask me today what I want to be when I grow up I will tell you, "I don't have a damn clue."
What I do know is that I'm working in a place now that I don't love. I don't hate it either. It's a great grown up job. I set my own hours, I have 4 weeks of vacation a year, and everyone is really nice. There's possibility for advancement, my boss is super nice and the work isn't too hard. Some grown-ups pray for my kind of job. I guess I'm not a grown up.
I have a lot of passion in the middle of my soul to do something that fills me up everyday. I love my kiddos but any parent will tell you it's not enough. I have a huge sense of self duty. I want to help people. I want to do something important for the community. I want to LOVE what I do and do what I LOVE. It's a curse some days. Sometimes I get enough motivation to actually start something, like my non-profit, The Hope Chest, but my ideas fail because I don't have enough support...whether financially or physically. I keep coming to the realization that my motivation and will aren't enough in this world. You have to have money and time and you have to somehow create them yourself despite the obstacles. I love my children but they create a barrier in life. I am limited to what I do because of them, at least for a certain amount of time. But I can’t keep using them as an excuse when there are so many women out there doing it all. I just don’t want to sacrifice my time with my kids. It doesn’t seem worth it.
My current thinking evolves around getting my own business started. I have a GREAT business idea. I know everyone says that but my idea is something that the community needs and does not have. It's something that has no current competition. I think there is a great potential for growth and I think parents will be immediately drawn to it. I am not getting too excited; I'm merely exploring the idea by attending a New Business seminar in Saint Joseph next month. I will let you know how that goes.
Until that update just remember that your biggest obstacle in life is 100% ALWAYS yourself. If you hear a voice in your head say, "I can't do this," (I don’t know about you, but I hear it A LOT) slap yourself and say out loud..."No. Maybe I CAN do this."
What I do know is that I'm working in a place now that I don't love. I don't hate it either. It's a great grown up job. I set my own hours, I have 4 weeks of vacation a year, and everyone is really nice. There's possibility for advancement, my boss is super nice and the work isn't too hard. Some grown-ups pray for my kind of job. I guess I'm not a grown up.
I have a lot of passion in the middle of my soul to do something that fills me up everyday. I love my kiddos but any parent will tell you it's not enough. I have a huge sense of self duty. I want to help people. I want to do something important for the community. I want to LOVE what I do and do what I LOVE. It's a curse some days. Sometimes I get enough motivation to actually start something, like my non-profit, The Hope Chest, but my ideas fail because I don't have enough support...whether financially or physically. I keep coming to the realization that my motivation and will aren't enough in this world. You have to have money and time and you have to somehow create them yourself despite the obstacles. I love my children but they create a barrier in life. I am limited to what I do because of them, at least for a certain amount of time. But I can’t keep using them as an excuse when there are so many women out there doing it all. I just don’t want to sacrifice my time with my kids. It doesn’t seem worth it.
My current thinking evolves around getting my own business started. I have a GREAT business idea. I know everyone says that but my idea is something that the community needs and does not have. It's something that has no current competition. I think there is a great potential for growth and I think parents will be immediately drawn to it. I am not getting too excited; I'm merely exploring the idea by attending a New Business seminar in Saint Joseph next month. I will let you know how that goes.
Until that update just remember that your biggest obstacle in life is 100% ALWAYS yourself. If you hear a voice in your head say, "I can't do this," (I don’t know about you, but I hear it A LOT) slap yourself and say out loud..."No. Maybe I CAN do this."
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