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Be like Mike
JuI1s,2013
Michael Carroll took charge of his career, learning as much as he could about the insurance industry.
When Michael Carroll entered the Enterprise Technology Department's trainee program right
after college in June 2008, he admittedly didn't know anything about insurance, but what he did
know was that he was eager to learn about the industry he just joined.
"Even though I was in technology, I wanted to understand the bigger picture so I could make a
contribution to the company. So, about six months after I started working here, I decided to
attend a LOMA meeting where Mark Pfaff (head of agency) spoke. He is such a great public
speaker," says Carroll. "But as he talked about our target markets and how our agents operate, I
realized how little I knew."
Eager to take charge of his career, Mike decided to invest in his future by enrolling in LOMA
courses, in which he would learn all aspects of the insurance business.
Michael Carroll receiving his FMU
Since he was commuting into New York City from Long Valley, N.J., every day - two and a half
hours each way - he decided that he could us his commute time productively to study an
average of 300 pages of material required for each of his ten courses.
designation in August 20lL
By the end of his third year with the company in August 2011, Carroll had completed the
coursework and was awarded the Fellow, Life Management Institute (FMU) designation.
"Without realizing it, I began applying what I learned almost immediately on the job. When I began working on the Lotus Notes
and messaging team, I used what I learned from LOMA to suggest improvements for three-mail systems that the Agents used."
Althouqh.he finished the most coveted designation that LOMA has to offer, Michael continues to study and has just one more
test before he receives the Associate, Customer Service designation, which is also offered through LOMA.
"Today, as an e-mail administrator, I often have to deal directly with Agents, so my customer service training has proved quite
useful," he says.
"The world is ever-changing, so continuing my education not only gives me a competitive advantage, but motivates me to push
boundaries and gain new skills that can prepare me for success both at work and in life."
Living by his words, Michael took the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) in April and then applied to MBA
programs.
At the beginning of June, he received acceptance letters and this fall he will be enrolled as a part-time, but fully-matriculated,
business school student at Fairleigh Dickinson University, while continuing to work full-time.
Want to increase your knowledge of the company or the industry? A good place to start is the Career Center tab on the
intranet. There you will find links to the Learning Gateway, industry education, employee resource groups, and other
opportunities to further your knowledge.
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