October 28, 2011

An Update on Work and School

Another week over. Thank goodness.

The last five days at work have been complicated as I’ve been training a newer employee to take over my old job duties, on top of my own training for my new position as Premium Audit Technician. I got the promotion in mid-September and should have started training right away but that was difficult to do while still completing the Product Support Clerk tasks.

Thankfully, I have amazing co-workers who stepped in to divide my work so I could learn my new job. It’s been a bumpy road but I’m working through it. The new girl is doing very well. I decided to break up her training into smaller chunks because I didn’t want her to become discouraged or overwhelmed. She is a fast learner and over the last two weeks she has caught on to everything I’ve taught her. It is very satisfying to know that I my skills as a trainer are right on the money.

On Wednesday I had Worker’s Compensation classification training and my trainer is amazing. She makes the learning fun and I liked listening to her examples of past claims and underwriting situations. After class she went over some of my questions and she asked me where I worked prior to joining Sentry Insurance. I told her about my time at Travel Guard Insurance and McDonald Title Company and she was impressed with my insurance background. She was so kind and suggested that when I finish my Bachelor’s degree I should study for the CPCU designation and take the exam. She’d love to see me in the Underwriting Department, she told me. I was very grateful for her advice.

Later in the day I realized I would be in school in some form or another for a very long time. My goal is to work hard and earn and MBA. I’m feeling overwhelmed but I know I can achieve my goals. I graduate from MSTC in May and will earn my Associates Degree in Business Administration. I’m making progress and that’s all that matters right now. Baby steps…

I never thought I’d accomplish these goals at my age (almost 33). On some days I feel “old” and start to talk myself out of things. I’m lucky to have friends, family and colleagues to straighten me out. It’s a long journey and I don’t know if I could do it without all their support.