As TIME magazine puts it, job hunting has become “miserable.” That’s not news to those of us in Generation Z, whether we’re still in school or trying to find a job. As a soon-to-be postgraduate, I urge you to think about the field that gave me my start: the insurance industry.
For almost five years, I’ve worked at an insurance agency that is local to me. I’ve seen the B2C aspect of insurance firsthand. Also, my time at Aartrik has given me a glimpse behind the scenes, specifically into insurance marketing — which most people may not know anything about.
The truth is the insurance industry is extremely underrated, misunderstood and overlooked by most. Allow me to show you why the insurance industry is a great career choice.
- The insurance industry is not going anywhere, and it needs Gen Z. For centuries, through recessions and even through the recent pandemic, the industry has not only survived but remained stable. Statistics show that the insurance industry offers both job security and financial stability. For example, in 2023, the tech industry laid off more than 230,000 employees while the insurance industry laid off fewer than 7,000. In spite of those layoffs, insurance companies still plan to hire employees in 2024. And most importantly, half of insurance employees will retire by 2028 — that means a huge employment opportunity for Gen Z.
- The insurance industry has low barriers to entry, with many starting positions only requiring a high school diploma and no prior experience. For example, to become an insurance agent, you only need to obtain your license (after your GED) to get started.
- Insurance career paths are shockingly broad. Being an insurance agent is not the only option. Think of the industry as an umbrella with a variety of categories and subcategories under it. Insurance covers everything from marketing, finance, law, and even social sciences. There is something for everyone, whether you want to work for a local agency or a corporate giant. You can work in insurance sales. You can become an investigator, auditor or appraiser. You can be a researcher. You can work in customer service. And the list goes on. You can even work directly with the carrier to develop specific insurance products (coverages). All of these require different skill sets, and all contribute to making sure insurance companies and coverages work. Clearly, the insurance field is not one-dimensional.
- Insurance is one of the few industries that provides almost immediate results and feedback. It's fairly easy to see how well an insurance company is doing based on the number of policies held, making it clear whether a strategy is working or should be improved.
- The insurance industry as a whole has always been big on community service. From my experience at an agency, I see firsthand how we help the community, whether it be by translating documents or helping kids fundraise.
As Peter van Aartrijk — an insurance marketing icon — has stated, “We need to stop apologizing for insurance.” It is an amazing and diverse industry that gets a bad rap without much consideration for all it provides.