Should I get involved in the insurance industry? -

As long as you aren't doing sales, you don't need to do any of the above. But the big bucks are in sales. It's a tradeoff. It's a decent field to be in. Good job security. ;-) Answer to all your questions is Yes I think you are equating insurance with sales. There are millions of people working in insurance who don't do sales: accountants, actuaries, claims adjusters, file clerks, human resource, lawyers, programmers, undewriters, etc. The world will always need insurance: life, health, property, liability, etc. It has been a good career for me. Asking if you should get involved in the insurance industry is a lot like asking if you should get into the entertainment business or law or any other field. The bottom line is that there are several jobs/careers that can be taken up and unless you have an idea of where you want to move within the insurance industry I suggest you take some time to research the field and gain a greater understanding of the career paths, necessary education, good companies to work for, etc. Case in point, when I graduated from college I was desperate for a job and got offered a job as a claims assistant for the worker's comp division at AIG. I HATED IT and wanted to do something that was 1) more lucrative and 2) not so stressful. After talking to some people at AIG I discovered underwriting paid well and was a good place to put my college degree to use. Eventually I left AIG and now work for Fireman's Fund. Even in underwriting though you've got to decide whether you want to go to Personal lines (homes, autos, etc), Commercial (businesses, bldgs, etc), or Specialty (unusual business risks). Take some time to do some research. Talk to people who work within insurance if you can. Understand that most people don't "plan" on working in the insurance field, it just kind of happens... as with my story. Once you gather some info and also understand what type of person you are (a good salesman would prob do well as an agent, an analytical person would prob make a good underwriter, etc.) you will be better equipped to answer that question for yourself.