Work for me is a dental insurance company by the name of United Concordia Companies, Inc. It is a subsidiary of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Pennsylvania.
I have moved through the ranks of UCCI comparatively quickly. I started in October 1998 as a Customer Service Telephone Representative. This means that I answered the phone. Ok, it was a bit more complex than that. Actually, my job was to take phone calls from dentists, patients, and other insurance companies. It was a good way to begin, but ultimately, I found myself bored. I was trained in the correspondence aspect of Customer Service and soon began working inquiries the majority of the time.
I demonstrated an aptitude for the written word that impressed many members of management, and I was elevated after 11 months with the company. According to my supervisor at the time, this is not a normal thing. I moved forward at what could best be termed breakneck speed.
Thus, I found myself a member of a group of people called "The Appeals Unit." I was an Advisor Assistant (read: glorified secretary), which means that I worked cases wherein a review of claims by an actual dentist was necessary. In that job, I made many contacts throughout the company. I performed that function for almost a year.
My big break came when the position of Documentation Analyst came open. This is an exempt level position, which means both more money and more responsibility. As an exempt, an employee no longer clocks in or out. You stay at work until you are done- period.
I did not expect to get the position. It is extremely rare for someone to jump four salary levels in one posting. Nevertheless, I decided that it couldn't possibly hurt to post for it, and so I did.
I got the position. I was very surprised, not to mention ecstatic.
Now my job can best be described as "duties as assigned". My job changes every day. That is what I love about it.
The moral of this story? Don't sell yourself short. There is more to you than meets the eye- even your own. There is no limit to what you can do.