I’m a people person. Period. I love talking to people and I was doing a lot of that first in my first job as a property officer. I coordinated workflows with contractors, government officials and suppliers on real estate projects.

A couple of years later, I moved to a new job as a PR officer for a construction company – another people-oriented role.

So, when an ex-colleague who had joined the insurance industry encouraged me to give it a shot, the idea wasn’t that inconceivable.

Connecting with people, checked. Technical knowledge, zero.

I wasn’t too bothered with that. I saw it as an opportunity to learn. I figured, let’s see if the subject matter is interesting enough for me to take next steps.

And it was. So, I switched careers with a firm conviction that I would persevere. I’ve been focusing on general and life insurance all these years.

Nowadays, lots of young people enter the insurance industry not treating it like a career. By that, I mean you’ve got to work at it day after day. Not only when you feel like it.

So, I prospected, followed up and worked at providing value to my clients. Say, they may have a question about business taxation, and that’s out of the scope of insurance. But I try my best to help. That is how I steadily gain the respect and trust of my clients.

I mean, we’ve all heard about insurance agents who disappear after making a sale. That’s not right. We build relationships and if you focus on that, you’ll more likely to be successful.

Within a year, I had doubled my annual earnings. I’ve been in the trade since 2004, and what keeps me going is the fact that I’m helping people and the appreciation I receive from my clients.

My advice for anyone considering a career change to insurance — You’ve got to enjoy being with people, talking to them, making friends.

Now, I manage a team six agents. My husband, who used to be a general manager in an MNC, also made the switch into insurance.

We’ve made a career change, although at different points of our lives.

For him, major life changes like the passing of his mum and the stress of his previous job were key factors that led him to make his mid-career switch.

So, life is too short to be stuck wondering how your life would have changed if you had tried something new.

He likes the freedom of what he does now, and life has been good for us overall.