There are various areas within the insurance sector, which require specific sets of skills apart from the common skills. Good knowledge of finance is a must for actuaries, auditors and claim examiners. Insurance agents and brokers need to be good listeners, since a major part of their job involves understanding the needs and financial resources of their customers. Underwriters and actuaries who identify and calculate the risk factor before actualizing a policy have to design the policy in such a manner that there is transference of risk from the customer to the insurance company. The idea is to create a policy that is neither too liberal nor too conservative when a claim arises. This means that underwriters and actuaries need to also be quantitative analysts.
The Insurance Institute of America offers training programs and various professional degrees in the insurance sector for those who aspire to advance their career in this field. The institute specializes in offering designations for underwriters, such as the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Associate in Commercial Underwriting (ACU) and Registered Health Underwriter (RHU).
How much one earns in the insurance sector depends on the nature of his/her job. An insurance agent or broker can earn somewhere between $40,000 and $70,000. A claims adjustor on the other hand can earn up to $50,000, while for an underwriter’s salary can go up to $80,000. Senior actuaries can earn as much as $400,000 annually.