Most insurance practitioners, if asked, would probably consider themselves "professionals." But most insurance practitioners do not realize how recently insurance evolved to the point that our practitioners are considered "professionals," in the true sense of that word. "Profession" is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a calling requiring specialized knowledge, and often long and intensive academic preparation," and generally also encompasses the following key elements:

• Mental, versus physical performance or pursuits
• Adherence to professional codes of conduct and ethical behavior.

Agents and brokers become intimately familiar with the licensing and continuing education requirements in their given states. Most states require agents and brokers to complete approved pre-licensing courses and passing the state-issued exams. There are also state-specific requirements as to the type (some states now include a specific ethics requirement) and amount of continuing education required to maintain their licenses to sell insurance. In some cases, they may grandfather in and waive those requirements for agents that have more than a specified number of years of experience or that hold certain designations (i.e., CPCU). What some agents and brokers may forget is that the licensing and continuing education requirements are just a minimum standard—the least amount they have to do to remain licensed.

See the sidebar "Pros Sound Off About Their Preferred Programs."

There are several factors that serve to heighten the need for agents and brokers to engage in additional purposeful, ongoing professional development activities. First, by virtue of the fact that they are now considered professionals, agents and brokers are held to ever-higher standards of care and conduct as they fulfill their responsibilities to their clients—who also have increasingly higher expectations. Secondly, ours is a world of increasing specialization, and those who hold themselves out to be experts in a particular discipline also will increase the standard of care to which they are held, in the event of a professional liability claim against them. Finally, to truly set yourself apart as a professional, it is imperative that you remain current on key issues and continually broaden your knowledge and hone your skills.

Related: Read the article "Multiple Education Programs Fill Needs in a Changing RM Industry" by Caroline McDonald.

An insurance practitioner’s professional development typically includes a wide range of activities over the course of his or her career: individual mentoring, through either a direct superior or another more experienced co-worker or business associate; attendance at conferences, seminars or webinars; participation in professional associations; formal educational programs such as professional designation or certification programs. For the purposes of this article we will focus on formal designation and certification programs.

There are a number of such programs available for agents and brokers, and this represents just a brief sample of some of the more common certifications and designations pursued by agents and brokers:
AAI: Accredited Advisory in Insurance
AIM: Associate in Management
ARM: Associate in Risk Management
ARe: Associate in Reinsurance
ASLI: Associate in Surplus Lines Insurance
CIC: Certified Insurance Counselor
CISR: Certified Insurance Service Representative
CPCU: Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter
MLIS: Management Liability Insurance Specialist
RPLU: Registered Professional Liability Underwriter
SCLA: Senior Claims Law Associate

With the myriad educational offerings available, it is more important than ever to take the time to research the various offerings and determine the best course of study for you to undertake. Here are some tips on selecting the program that best suits your needs:

1. Determine your educational goals

What do you really want to learn or get out of the proposed course of study? Are you interested in learning about agency management? Selling skills? Customer service skills? Do you want to learn about the big picture of the general property-casualty industry, or are you really interested specialty lines or reinsurance?

Related: Read the article by Laura Mazucca Toops "Train Your Producer."

It is important to understand the nature of the program’s content to make an informed decision and determine whether it is really the best one to help fulfill your education goals. If possible, talk to someone who already holds the designation and get their first-hand account about it and also how rigorous the program of study is. By doing so, you may avoid going down one path when there is another viable alternative that may actually be a better fit for you. It also helps prevent getting in over your head, when perhaps you need to begin with a more elementary or intermediate program, before tackling one of the more rigorous designation programs. When that happens it can be a recipe for disaster, as the student becomes discouraged and it may be a long time, if ever, before they try again.

Consider how the content is delivered

People have a variety of different learning styles. Are you self-directed enough to pursue a self-study program? Do you prefer to have instructor-led classes? Would you like to have options available to you? Are multi-day "crash" courses best for you? Do you prefer shorter, more focused courses, or do you have the time to devote to longer, semester-length courses?

These are important considerations, as well as the overall length of the course of study involved to complete the program. Some students do not want to consider a designation program with more than a few parts that they can complete in a relatively short period of time. In some cases, a shorter certification or designation program may be best for them, for that very reason.

2. Do the courses also fulfill CE requirements?

One nice bonus is that many of the courses required to complete the various designation programs not only fulfill the requirements for the designation itself, but will also help you complete your continuing education requirements.

Related: Read the article by Paul Morrissette "Agency Education is Up To You."

There are several key questions to ask before embarking on any new course of study, to help assure that the program you have selected is the right one for you:

• Can I earn CE through this course of study?
• Is the content covered in this program pertinent to the goals that I have set for my professional development- does it cover the right material?
• Is the degree of difficulty appropriate for me, given my education and training to date?
• Does the time commitment required fit within the parameters I have established, given my personal schedule and work commitments?

There really are no "one size fits all" options when looking at the wide array of professional designation programs available for use in your professional development endeavors. While there are really no "bad" choices—you will always learn something through any given course of study—it is worth taking the time to select the one that best suits your personal professional development needs. Earning a professional designation will help set you apart and demonstrate your commitment to excellence and your chosen profession, to both your employer and your clients.