We have concluded our liabilty decision

I work for the insurance industry. In the summer of 2006 I was hired by Farmers Insurance to work as an auto liability adjuster in their office in Shepherd's Mall off 23rd street. I have never written anything about my job until now and I hit my year anniversary of employment mark just a few months ago. For those of you unfamiliar with the insurance world, an auto liability adjuster determines which party in a car wreck is at fault and whether or not the insurance company pays for any damages. To put it plainly, this job does not match my personality and it does not fill me with any sense of satisfaction or accomplishment other than earning a paycheck.

I am able to do the job successfully but it creates quite a large amount of stress for me. I have developed difficulty in relaxing and increased jaw grinding. In addition to the job and its inherent stresses, I also study for national insurance examinations which give me certifications that aid in the attainment of salaray grade raises. I have been studying for the second of such tests today, called the AIC 36. This particular test, requiring hours of self study by reading insurance texts, covers all the basics of liability claims from auto to commercial, including advertising injuries. In the first chapter of the text I came across a few words that summed up those things which create the negative aspects of my job listed above. I quote, "Liability claim representatives will, without exception, encounter situations that drain their energy, challenge their sense of justice, and make them question the goodwill of others."

I worked several different jobs before finding my way in to the insurance industry. For a year I installed point-of-sales systems in restaurants and casinos. Seeing the underbelly of the casino industry and Las Vegas specifically I found distasteful but manageablly kept at a distance. I once worked as a data processor. That job was monotonous and boring. I even flipped burgers in high school and I look back on that job fondly.

But not once had I ever held a job until now where my actual profession caused me to call in to question the good will of others. Now don't get me wrong, other experiences have caused me to question this before, but never on a day to day basis.

That's why I am writing this blog. I decided to go back to school to do something about it.