All posts by AGardiner

Today I'd like to give a word of encouragement about the power of finding a way to get things done. First, a bit of history re. my CAT career. My last real position as a salaried employee was as a high school math teacher in '97. Although I made very little, I knew exactly what I was going to have at the end of each month. This gave me and my wife a relative sort of comfort. The stress of moving to a commissioned position was intense; every month I started from scratch, and had to work my tail off, just to start all over again next month. I almost gave up at the end of the first year, but then I got my W2 - which showed that I had doubled my salary from my last year of teaching! Jumping into CAT adjusting was a whole new step. Now, not only was I directly responsible for how much I made, I was totally self-employed, and responsible for everything. I arrived at my first CAT with a brand-new lap-top, digital camera, tape measure, a few other nick-nacks and a recently maxed-out credit card for these purchases. I had a wife, three daughters and a big mortgage back at home. I was now REALLY stepping up to the plate of believing in my ability to make it happen, to provide for my family. I'd be lying if I said i wasn't a bit scared. Here comes the happy part of the story. I worked harder than I had ever worked, and the results were beyond my wildest expectations. I took my job very seriously, worked 16 hour days, 7 days/week, and daily sought to improve my skills as an adjuster. This meant massive efforts in communication, time management, industry knowledge and more. It meant learning what policy holders need as well as what bureaus and carriers need (I will be blogging about all of these topics in the future!). After a while, with this attitude, not only did I succeed in that particular catastrophe, but I developed a reputation and relationships that have endured and have secured my future in a career that I love (the adjusting industry). There's one thing in particular that I learned that I feel called to share with you today. It has to do with closing a claim.... read more