The great thing about insurance is that you can come into it from any educational background. Underwriting is all about experience, the more diverse the better. Music is something everyone can relate to and being a Berklee grad is a good conversation starter in marketing and networking.

How do Gen Ys struggle in a professional environment?
I hate to promote stereotypes, but speaking as one myself, “Gen Y'ers” tend to get bored more easily than older generations. We like to multitask, feel that we are making a difference and see clear steps to moving up in a company. That may sound high maintenance, but my advice to employers is to simply keep the lines of communication open. If you can keep a Gen Y employee engaged, then you'll have a star employee. My advice to the young generation is not to take any job or position for granted.

What advice would you give young agents without an insurance background or training?
Insurance will seem like a separate language at first. Don't be discouraged; pick up the INS education series to learn the basics. After that there are dozens of industry-specific courses to choose from and I recommend you take as many as you have time for. But the most important training will come from job experience–find a mentor, ask lots of questions and work hard. You'll be rattling off acronyms and coverage terms like a true insurance professional in no time.

Who do you look to as a mentor in this industry?
I look to my mother as a mentor in management, operations and pure work ethic. I count myself incredibly lucky to be able to pick her brain on a daily basis. I look to one of the younger female producers in our office as a mentor in underwriting and market placement. She has the perfect balance of experience, attention to detail and humor to help with developing producers.