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Posted By Chris on 24 Jun 2012 10:28 PM

I know this subject has been talked about before....I have been reading all the post on this site and other sites.  I was thinking I could get some update positive information.  I noticed some of the post are up to 4 years old, I am sure things have changed a little bit....esp in regards to schools and training.

About me... I retired from a large fire department in Texas after 19 years in March of this year.  I built homes and did construction on the side for about 15 of those years.  I am 42 now.  My wife passed away in December of last year and kids are in college, so I am ready to travel.  I have truck and RV. 

What schools do you guys/girls recommend?  I see there are a lot... from online courses that cost $200 to a 3 week class that is $2995.  I think I want to work for a company...what companies hire newbies?  Any other information would be great.  I am not looking for negative information (like how the how the job market is over staffed, etc).  I came from being a fireman where there was a waiting list 4 years long to get on to the department...but the department would always hire the good fireman right away.

 

Thanks

Chris,

Please accept my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your wife.

Well even with some of our instructions here on CADO being 4+ years old, they still ring true and accurate today as they did back then. I do NOT envy the next gen of claims adjusters. Let me qualify that statement:

Today as never before, it is a very exciting time for the rookie adjuster. A tech savvy individual can find multiple opportunities that were not available even 5 years ago. What I do NOT envy is that rookie adjusters have a target on their backs from predatory training vendors. A very lucrative industry has been created within the claims adjusting industry and that is the fleecing of newly licensed or soon to be licensed rookie adjusters. Not all training vendors are predatory (far from it) but the ones that are ....,well they are what I consider the scourge of this industry.

The knowledge required for initial licensing /adjuster 101 /XM8 "combo" classes is NOT the end of the learning experience, it is only the beginning. However, umpteen certifications really amount to squat.

Make no mistake, certifications DO indeed have a place in this industry! However in most cases, that place is NOT with newly licensed claims professionals.

Chris, you have multiple options before you and it is going to come down to what is best for you. You can indeed take an online course and then sit for the exam (from your home state) for a few hundred bucks or you could go through Vale National for $3,000.00+. However you must understand that in my 9 years in the industry, I have NEVER been asked even once how I got my adjuster's license.

How you get licensed is unimportant, what IS important is what you do AFTER initial licensing. Once licensed, you must have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of your estimating software(in the CAT industry, that will be XM8) Once you have the fundamentals, you need to master the software. The #1 single most reason for a rookie adjuster to either quit or be asked to leave a CAT on their first (and ONLY) deployment is lack of XM8 skills. The last place that you want to realize that you need more XM8 training is out in the field.

All the above is predicated upon entering the industry as a CAT adjuster (independent). You made mention of wanting to be hired by a carrier. That in  my opine is the BEST avenue for all rookie adjusters because in a nutshell you are being PAID to learn the business as a staff adjuster trainee. As an independent adjuster (CAT adjuster) you are literally in a sink or swim environment and the failure rate for rookie CAT adjusters is astronomical.

Most carriers and IA firms that employ staff adjusters want applicants to have either a 4 year degree and/or significant experience in a related field. Being a firefighter may help depending upon if you were involved in Arson investigation and associated disciplines.

Whichever way you decide, I will help you every step of the way. Are you a veteran? If so, I would like to add another option for you.

Shoot me an email at Robby@avcatservices.com 

Posted By CatAdjusterX on 26 Jun 2012 10:30 PM

The #1 single most reason for a rookie adjuster to either quit or be asked to leave a CAT on their first (and ONLY) deployment is lack of XM8 skills. The last place that you want to realize that you need more XM8 training is out in the field.

Just keep in mind that Xactimate is a very big program.  I have taken several classes, use this software 100% of the time, have put it to the test on big losses, and know little tricks to make it bend and do things it's not really designed to do.

With that said, Robby's statement about this software carries significant validity.  Just about everything we do now to adjust a claim gets filtered by our ability to use Xactimate and communicate effectively through it.  At the same time, it made me chuckle because I continue to learn new things about this program in the field that impact the way I adjust these claims.

Richard - 

There is a way to stay at home...daily claims. I work from home some days, other days I'm out of town deployed on the hail storm in St. Louis. My days are 8am to midnight or 1AM. When I have a cancellation I get to go to the doctor, go to the bank, etc. I'm still waiting for a hole in my schedule to get some glasses!

I do at least 1000 miles a week on my truck. Get to sleep next to the Mrs. most nights which outweighs the idea of a 100% Cat career. I'm on standby for the hurricane coming in, two weeks on and a week 'off' to scope the losses here that would normally take me two weeks to do. 

I got my TX license in August of last year through a license mill (that's been great), XM training via Web conference over three days in November. I got hired in late March. I've done north of 200 claims since. SF certified with Worley in March. I consider myself smart enough to learn anything given enough time...and this job has shown me that adjusting has a sharp on-the-job learning curve and has been very, very humbling, daily. With the exception of a few, the insureds have all been great people.

I've done sewer back ups, fire claims, hail, wind, water, vandalism, and a disturbing drive by shooting. (I didn't do the shooting, just the inspection part). 

Daily claims. If you want in and want to work like hell while living most of the time at home, consider it. If you want to rap more about it, ping me.

mxr618