Case study: Huy Pham
Tell us about the networking event you attended…
It was The Brokerage’s 2013 summer party, hosted by the Worshipful Company of Insurers. It was one of my first times networking and I felt a bit nervous. The Brokerage had helped me appreciate the importance of networking, so at the event I tried to put myself out there as much as possible. I got talking to an underwriter who worked for Pen Underwriting and asked him about work experience opportunities with the company.
What happened next?
The next day, I was offered an initial one-month paid work experience placement. My contract was then extended for another month, and then another month after that. Eventually I was offered a full-time role.
You decided not to go to university. How did you arrive at that decision?
When I was a sixth-form student, The Brokerage visited my college and explained lots of different career paths. This opened my eyes to the fact that there are other ways into the City than going to university. Going on work experience then led me to a full-time job. I was already making good progress and so I didn’t see the need to stop and go to university.
You work as an analyst. How would you advise anyone wanting to get into a role like yours?
Invest time in learning a computer language and computer software. Many companies are still very reliant on Excel. When I started in my role, I was surprised by how few senior people in finance have an in-depth knowledge of Excel. There are definitely lots of opportunities in insurance for people who are confident with technology. And there’s lots of free knowledge out there on YouTube and Google that can help you learn.
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