A Career Pivot: Why Some Professionals Chose Life Insurance

Jared Nelson was just out of college. He had no grand plan. He just needed a job.

Tyann Coakley was working too many hours as an accountant, so she decided on a career change and enrolled in law school. It didn’t take Coakley long to realize that she’d only traded the frying pan for the fire.

Michael Chaffin worked for 17 years managing physical fitness facilities. He was rewarded for his labor with a handshake, good-luck wishes and a severance package.

Each went on to pursue work in life insurance and financial services.

A Rewarding Occupation

Nelson, who operates in the Jackson, Miss. area, Coakley, a representative working near Chicago, and Chaffin, a suburban Atlanta professional, say they have found their place in an industry that rewards hard work. They enjoy flexible hours and helping clients identify their financial needs and create a plan to help meet those needs.

Underscoring their work is a belief that they are helping others.

“I like helping people get to the point that they feel confident going forward with the proper life insurance and investment plan,” said Nelson, 48, who joined Primerica 25 years ago after finishing college. “It’s super rewarding to do that.”

Another reward: the flexibility that comes with having your own business, said Coakley. Before her career change, she said, work had a “chokehold” on her life. She joined Primerica six years ago after having an epiphany about her CPA job. “It just wasn’t my idea of the American dream,” said Coakley, 41.

Chaffin, 48, recently helped a single mother create an investment plan to help cover the anticipated costs of her child’s education and her own retirement. And if something should happen to her, said Chaffin, his client has a term life insurance policy to help take care of her child’s needs in her absence.

“It’s that glue of doing what’s right,” he said. “I can’t think of anything more powerful than to be there with a check.”

The Future Looks Bright for Life Insurance

The trio is hardly unique. Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more than a half-million workers identified as licensed insurance representatives in 2024. The agency estimates that the field should grow by 4 percent annually through 2034.¹

Recent statistics from the nonprofit Insurance Information Institute offer a snapshot of life insurance purchasing trends. In a recent study, the organization reported that 39 percent of its survey respondents said they plan to purchase life insurance within the next year. The figure jumps to 44 percent for Generation Z adults and hits the halfway mark – 50 percent – for millennials.²

“There’s no shortage of people,” Chaffin says.

In short, demographic shifts contribute to ongoing demand for these services.

For Nelson, who joined Primerica “because I needed income,” the rewards aren’t measured solely by the bottom line. Like Coakley and Chaffin, he studied to become an insurance agent, passed his test and got licensed.  Though he had an undergraduate degree, his job didn’t require it.

Nelson identifies with his clientele. Like them, he grew up in a middle-class household but knew little about finances. Now, Nelson said, he wants to share what he’s learned with his clients.

“I want them to have hope in their lives,” he said.

His work has allowed Nelson to claim another title: coach. He can schedule his workday to allow time to coach his kids’ teams. That’s a lot of coaching: Nelson has three children.

Chaffin appreciates his free time, too. When he managed physical-fitness centers, Chaffin said, he was never truly off the clock. “If the phone rang at home, I had to answer it.” He saw so little of his wife and two children that his spouse was relieved when he got laid off, Chaffin said.

That layoff prompted Chaffin to take a closer look at what he wanted. After nearly two decades of focusing on clients’ physical well-being, he decided to turn his attention to building clients’ fiscal well-being. Chaffin studied to become a life insurance representative, got his license and got busy.

These days, said Chaffin, he gets the most pleasure guiding clients to meet their financial milestones. When they celebrate, he does, too.

Coakley also shares happy moments with her clients. It’s not unusual for them to send her greeting cards during the holidays, she said.

Coakley started in insurance as a part-time thing; she wanted it to generate a little extra income to get her through the month. Before long, that part-time effort took front and center in her working life. She happily gave up her CPA job.

“This gave me an opportunity to control my life,” said Coakley, who has three children.

And this: “I’ve had an immense impact on peoples’ lives.”

Learn more at Primerica.com.

¹ bls.gov. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program. August 28, 2025.

LINK: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/insurance-sales-agents.htm#tab-6

²iii.org. Facts + Statistics: Life Insurance.

LINK: https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-life-insurance

*Primerica Representatives are independent contractors. Representatives are not licensed to sell all products in all states/provinces. Representatives may provide products and services only to individuals in those jurisdictions where they are licensed or approved. Life-licensed sales representatives are agents of the Primerica insurance companies. In New York, term life insurance products are underwritten by National Benefit Life Insurance Company, Home Office: Long Island City, New York. In the U.S. (except in New York), term life insurance products are underwritten by Primerica Life Insurance Company, Executive Offices: Duluth, Georgia.

Investment and Savings: In the U.S., securities and advisory services are offered by PFS Investments Inc., 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30099-0001, member FINRA [www.finra.org]. PFS Investments Inc. conducts its advisory business under the name Primerica Advisors