David Shotts
Ascend Insurance Brokerage
Chicago, IL USA
"You’re not going to accomplish anything without a little risk. Anyone who’s ever done anything started by rolling the dice."
Career Roadmap
David's work combines: Business, Music, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Get an understanding of a professional field you would like to go into. Go after it, find a mentor through networking and don't listen to people who say "you can't do that" or "it's not done that way".
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
University of North Texas
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Financial Risk Specialists:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Insurance
Bachelor's Degree: Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Attended the University of North Texas, where he earned a degree in marketing.
2.
While in college, he played in a band and toured the country playing shows.
3.
During this time, he worked part time for a private security company and, after graduating from college, he decided to make that his career.
4.
Says that he started to doubt his choice of career in his late twenties—asked himself, “Is this what I want to do with the rest of my life?”
5.
As luck would have it, due to his knowledge of the entertainment security sector, he was recruited into the insurance industry by his broker.
6.
Says the transition into the insurance industry was difficult because he had no idea what the industry was all about and he had to learn everything from scratch.
7.
He is now a vice president at Ascend Insurance Brokerage, an entertainment industry insurance broker, where he specializes in insuring major music festivals.
8.
Says he feels fortunate that his love of music has become so intertwined with his professional career.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I don't know if this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
How I responded:
I got into security at a young age and just stayed in it because it was the easiest option for me at the time. In my late 20s, I started to doubt that decision. I had formed good relationships and got recruited into a new industry that I really enjoy.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
When I made the switch from security to insurance it was a steep learning curve and I often doubted that decision. I have a great support structure around me which helped carry me through. I also had a positive attitude that it would all work out.