Max Lee likes to think he takes calculated risks. This was what he did when he quit a stable career in accounting to an insurance sales role that didn’t pay him a base salary.

“If an opportunity comes knocking on your door, don’t dismiss it,” he says.

Then, Max was an accountant in a manufacturing company in his mid-20s. His day-to-day tasks included receivables, credit management and management accounting. Making about S$4,500 a month “was very decent for someone my age”, he says.

But when he met his friend and insurance agent to buy a policy, he was in for a surprise. He was curious as to how his agent, an O-level holder in his mid-20s, could afford a Volkswagen car so early on in his career.

Max wanted to find out more, but when he expressed interest on a career change, his friend did not take him seriously.

“I was in my 20s and I was very driven to work hard to make enough for myself and my family, he says. “My friend felt I wouldn’t ever dare to give up my stable job to do something so different – and riskier. That made me even more determined to take next steps to see what was out there,” he recalls.

While working as an accountant, he passed the required insurance exams. For the next two months, he worked after hours, contacting friends to help with their insurance needs.

He says, “I had a plan – I was trying things out to see if a career change made sense. As I was juggling my day job, I made it a point not to work weekends to avoid a burnout.”

At the end of the first month, he earned about S$9,000 in commission. His earnings from insurance continued at a steadily clip into the second month.

“Nine out of 10 people I spoke with said going into insurance was foolhardy. The insurance was saturated,” he says.

“And the remaining one person encouraged me to give it a shot because I won’t know until I have tried.”

By then, Max had decided to give himself six months to a year to see how things pan out in his new career.

“I knew I could go back into accounting anytime,” he says.

The first two months into his new career was worse-than-expected. Despite working hard to prospect, he made just under S$1,000 per month. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

“I used to go in at 8 am and started making my calls. I was diligent, I had put in my hours. But many of the people I rang called back to postpone meetings.

“After two months of poor performance, I felt I was at my lowest point. I spoke with my district manager to see what I could do better.”

His manager said he was doing everything right, but to bear in mind that a career in insurance is akin to running a business. Results may not happen as quickly as one would like them, so perseverance is key.

A month later, Max’s efforts paid off when he earned S$19,000 in commission. The father of two hasn’t looked back and has grown in his career successfully over the last XX years.

“I took a calculated risk and it has worked for me,” says Max.

“I encourage anyone thinking about a career change into insurance to look beyond selling and commissions. I see what I do as helping people and that has helped me to live a purpose-driven life.”