Dear Simon, Sherrell, and fellow-interns,

As implausible and unreal as it may seem, our nine-week journey as AJG interns has come to an end. What initially had seemed as an incredibly long duration of time on June 7th has now come to an end. During the program, we became much better acquainted with the insurance industry, improved our client relations/communication skills, gained technical analysis abilities, etc. These priceless skill sets gained as a result of such a well established program is something we must appreciate, value and utilize. Moreover, I can’t thank Simon and Sherrell enough for their incredible efforts in spearheading the western region projects, and making our time here as flawless as possible.

The end of something so special of this stature is always bitter-sweet. It was a pleasure meeting and working with all of you, and hope to see you soon. I wish you all the best of luck with your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Ari in Los Angeles

The idea of contemplating what exactly I will be doing after completing the internship program is daunting, scary, and exciting. No doubt this program allowed me to gain valuable skill sets that can be applied to a varying fields and sectors. The analytical and technical skills are essential in almost any industry. These tools, coupled with the communicating and consulting aspects, allow me to become a valuable asset in not only the job market, but also in graduate school work.

Having recently completed my undergraduate degree at UCLA, several options are available for me to pursue. Of these, two primarily protrude: law school and employment. Law school has always been a path of interest for me; however, having worked for a law firm for a year and a half and experiencing the culture, the life-work balance is not encouraging. If the employment track is chosen, whether it be an opportunity with Gallagher or elsewhere, higher education (such as an MBA) some time in the future is almost a certainty.

Regardless of the path taken, I’m confident in my abilities, and more so now than ever before, which is attributable to the Gallagher Summer Associate Program.

Thanks,

Ari in Los Angeles

Week 6’s blog topic, although multifaceted, can be addressed when its various niceties are broken down.

My thoughts about the industry and the consulting world are primarily based on the fact that we are witnessing history in the making. During our young adult years, we are experiencing landmark historical events in the form of legislation with the coming of financial and health care reforms. With the convoluted and intricate caveats of the two latest reforms, understanding and complying with federal legislation is going to be an incredible challenge. Consequently, Gallagher consultants are going to be in demand more than ever. The knowledge and expertise of the consultants are going to help advise clients towards the appropriate decisions that will be most beneficial for them and their employees, while making sure to remain compliant.

Based on my experiences thus far, along with how I perceive my personality, I see myself treading a fine line between the analytical and consulting paths. I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity of being involved with both sides of the consulting realm, and have enjoyed both thoroughly.

Have a great weekend!

– Ari in Los Angeles

This blog task we were asked to address for week 5 is as follows:

What we’ve learned about the consulting world, what it means to us, what we see as challenges and opportunities.

Consulting, the act of providing advice in a particular area of one’s expertise, is an industry that seems to have grown exponentially in the past few decades. It requires a strong, trusting relationship between consultant and client, while juggling so many projects simultaneously.

The specific type of consulting done at Gallagher Benefits Services is a unique form of advisement that doesn’t appear to be as prevalent as other types of consulting. Other firms, focusing mainly on management and business strategy, don’t have much of a presence in the Benefits, Insurance, and Human Resources world.

Due to the involvement in Health Benefits and HR, the impact, confusion, and lack of education regarding Health Care Reform is going to make GBS Consultants in more demand than ever. The expertise, knowledge, and niche fields GBS boasts are going to make the company needed more so than ever. Albeit it’s going to be a challenge for the consultants at first to wrap their heads around it, but once well versed and fully understood, they will have the capability in advising their clients appropriately.

Enjoy the weekend,

Ari in Los Angeles

The weeks are flying by, especially after spending the whole third week of the program outside of our home office in good ol’ Itasca. This was an absolutely incredible experience. It was a real eye-opener to see how large the company truly is with +/- 140 interns from across the nation coming together to company headquarters. The varying accents, cultures, and talents that were unique to each intern resulted in a completely different form of education that no formal training could provide.

Nonetheless, the seminars were all very useful, allowing me to return to Los Angeles better versed in AJG’s services. I also seemed to have discovered that the Retirement sector is something that I would like to become an expert in if given the opportunity.

Much appreciation to Liane for her hard-work, and the company executives who took time to meet with all of us.

The only complaint I came back with was that I didn’t really get to see Chicago; however, this is completely understandable considering we have so much to cover with all the training seminars.

It was a pleasure meeting everyone!

Thanks,

Ari in LA

Los Angeles is a happy city after last night’s Laker victory. Hopefully all of America will be happy after the U.S. v. Slovenia game. Side note: I’m an avid soccer fan and player (played college and semi-professionally).

Focusing on the topic at hand, things have been going just as I was hoping in the Los Angeles office. Two weeks into it, and I’ve accompanied consultants to meetings, met with clients, and have been juggling more projects than I could have anticipated. It’s very encouraging to see the internship program provide the summer associates with substantive work. It became evident to me immediately that the culture here is to fully invest in the summer internship program, in order for us to grow significantly and fulfill our potential. Who wouldn’t want to see a return on investment, right?

I’m hoping to continue to grow professionally, develop my analytical and problem-solving skills, and improve my Excel knowledge (as I have had minimal exposure to such a valuable tool). Now, it’s time to finalize all the pending projects before heading out to Itasca.

Best of luck,

Ari from Los Angeles