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Wow! What I miss when I go to Mexico for a couple days! A new version of the age old question: I just got my Texas adjusting license; what do I do now?   And the man from Worms thinking he will be censored for using the "p" word!  You must have a different standard of obsene in the corn belt, Mike.

David, what you probably cannot know at this point is that the group of adjusters with whom you have been interacting have probably collectively trained more catadjusters that any other group of the same size anywhere anytime. Chuck Deaton is the author of an excellent resource for beginning catadjusters that he has given away free for more than a decade. Ray Hall has held "boot camps" to train adjusters. Several volunteer as mentors at claimsmentor.com.  I am the junior member of this group (with the possible exception of the enigmatic Mr. Snaparelli). I suspect that even the mysterious Ol' Ghost has more than a couple years on me. What you are experiencing in this forum, if I may deign to speak for some of the others, is a frustration we have all been encountering over the past few years. The four hurricanes in 2004 and the three evil sisters of 2005 (Katrina, Rita, Wilma) were very good for our wallets in the short term. However, they also flooded the market with tens of thousands (I do not exaggerate) of incompetent adjusters who left a bad taste in the mouth of those who hire us and painted all of us with the same brush (with an unpleasant shade of chartreuse, I might add). I am, like I said, a relative neophyte in this crowd with a mere 19 years of adjusting experience under my belt. Only a decade of that was as an independent catadjuster. I have trained others one at a time, but only to my own abilities. Many of the people you have been interacting with in this thread have trained far more than I.

I am not going to tell you how to become a catadjuster. That subject is dealt with over and over and over again in previous forum threads and throughout the forum archives. I will advise you to do a search and you will find that information.

I'll go in a different direction. I'll tell you some of the things that being a catadjuster is:

1. Being a catadjuster is running your own small business. It should be treated as a business. It has expenses, profit and loss, and all the other elements of a business. Contacting the local resources of the small business adminitration would be a good first step to seeing what is neccessary to start a business and keep it running. A visit to Richard Lindsey at Zevac and Lindsey, CPAs, would be a good start to setting up how to proceed with starting a catadjusting business. His office is across the street from Pilot's offices in Mobile, and he is a specialist in doing accounting for catadjusters. Those who treat this as a business have a better shot at being successful at it. And.....any business can fail. I made the decision at the end of 2007 to fold the business up and go back to working for a company again. I did this after analyzing the market for my services and projecting that analysis out over the next few years. I lucked into a position that fit my talents. Many have not been so lucky. Chuck is absolutely right in that those who do well as a catadjuster will usually be those who did well in other professions.

2. Catadjusting may not be rocket science, but it can require just as much education and knowledge as rocket science. Of course the education and training is in a different area. The top catadjusters know more than simply how to write a hail estimate. Some of us talk to attorneys and engineers as equals and read their reports regularly. Catadjusting is education and continuing education. The CPCU courses (I am working on number five of eight) are some of the hardest courses I have ever taken, including the courses for my masters degree. Some rabbinical training couldn't hurt to assist with understanding the nuances of the policy. 
I personally hate the phrase, "It's not rocket science," when used of our profession because it really does require the use of some impressive brain power on occasion. I like to respond with "Rocket science is not adjusting either."  As a side note, one of the adjusters I worked with back at State Farm in Culver City, California, was an aerospace engineer laid off from Hughes Aerospace.  Is that close enough to rocket science?  Come to think of it I have a claim or two right now that involves rocket scientists (albeit due to their asbestos exposure).

3. Catadjusting is tireless effort day after day, week after week, and often month after month to make sure that you are part of the solution in helping the victims of disasters recover. In a good year it is a 4000 hour work year. I have even worked a 5000 hour year or two. I'm not rich yet. Some years I have made a lot more than the average person, but not so much more per hour than the typical person.

4. Some may disagree, but I believe catadjusting is about more than the money. The medieval theologians used to argue about what consistuted the good (the bonnum) versus what constituted the highest good (the summum bonnum). Generally they determined, simplistically put, that the highest good was to do what was good for the best reasons and with the best attitude. I liked the money I made as a catadjuster. I liked the adventure. I loved the storm. I liked the travel, the new people I met, the new cultures I encountered (my ten months in the city of Mobile was wonderful, and I have many friends there now). But the most important part was that I was there to help people recover from a devastating experience in a very tangible way.

Catadjusting is other things, and others may wish to add to this list.

If you decide to join us, do it right. Set yourself up as a profitable business, educate yourself every chance you get (or make), work diligently and competently, and do it all for the right reason.

 

P.S.  Wish I could become an "Advanced Member" like the huskerdude.

I have probably said all of the following in my post over the years, but I remember this from my Pilot start in 1989 on the catstrophe trail after 30 years of staff and IA work in the Houston area." If you do not start working hail in West Texas in the early spring and are not working on Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, July 4th and labor day you will have a bad hail season." You will need to catch a winter storm in California or elseware to make a good year. (hurricanes were not brought you, it was a bonus)

 

With this start on a composite short list in no particular order , I request your input from any person with 4 years catastrophe adjusting experience.

 

people trained by an insurance carrier(staff) think it takes a person 5 years to get the first large promotion. NFIP thinks it takes a catastrophe adjuster 4 years to be eligable to write a flood estimate on a dwelling. All carriers and vendors think a person has to have seperate and differant training for HomeOwner and Commercial Loss.Debra Monroy, an expert published a list of 127 essay questions that a competant adjuster should be able to answer. I agree and this will be the test given to the witness in the chair. It takes 4000 hours in a good year and 5000 in an excellant year to make a good living.

 

Now this is my opine only. No independant contractor should EVER sign a hold harmless and indemnity agreement with a vendor, The vendor or carrier should agree to defend and indemnify the adjuster from policyholder lawsuits. Claims against the adjuster by the carrier/vendor is another matter and should be pursued to the full extent of the law.Adjusters SHOULD never work for a carrier/vendor that does not pay bi-monthly on approved turned in files.

The carrier has a duty to only use adjusters that are not qualified at their own peril.

 

Hello,

 

Sorry for the delay Chuck, I have been indisposed for the last few days. But its quite simple, the calculations used in this job are simple, jr high level geometry, which my 15 year old daughter can do. We use point and click software that figures the claims for us. As far as the "get rich quick" statement, you can make an enormous amount of money in a short period of time, and as I posted, you can also "go broke quick" waiting on the next storm. (you left that part of my post out).

 

I'm sure you are a knowledgeable adjuster, who can teach us all a few things. But lets not put ourselves on the level rocket scientist. 

 

Hope That Helps

JWG

Steve, that was a good write! 

 

 

 

This 'job' isn't  'rocket science'; its a lot harder than that! 

 

To be a professional adjuster takes the stamina of Superman, the patience of Job as well as the knowledge of engineering, construction, building materials, local costs (labor and materials), weather, intimate policy knowledge and how it applies to any given situation, the ability to manage time, manage people, manage money, the ability to come up with a solution for any particular problem on a moment's notice, to be able to stop what you're doing and go off in a completely different direction to solve the problem at hand, to be able to talk with anyone; attorneys, engineers and  homeowners from every walk of life, meet them at their level and maintain a professional demeanor, to be able to climb numerous roofs in the heat of the day, meet with an attorney later to discuss a file and go back to your hotel and work until the wee hours of the night writing files and get up at dawn to do it again.  Not only does it take knowledge and intelligence but kindness, patience, compassion, empathy, tolerance and stamina. 

(This is only the tip of the iceberg, I'm not even trying to encompass all that it takes!)

 

I personally don't know any rocket scientists, but I can't imagine that it could be this challenging and difficult and require as many facets of knowledge and personality traits as this! 

 

 

 

Someone once said to me, you can fill your tank with water, but that doesn't make the car go. 

Likewise, You can send someone out to look at damages to property, but that doesn't make them an adjuster. 

 

 

  

And to those of you who have dedicated themselves to this profession, I just want you to know how much I admire you! 

 

   What is your e-mail address?