CAREERS CORNER | A calculated approach to work and water polo for Nic Brooks

KAP7 Aussie Sharks Nic Brooks, has been a regular fixture in the Australian squad for many years and while his hard work is known in the pool, outside of the pool the work has been equally hard.

Brooks studied a Bachelor of Actuarial Science and a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) and since graduating from Macquarie University, Brooks has worked at Challenger Ltd, as an Actuarial Analyst. 

It’s a far cry from playing water polo, as Brooks shares insights into his career outside of the pool.

“Challenger Group is Australia’s largest provider of Annuities, providing guaranteed income streams to its customers,” Brooks said.

“I am responsible for assisting in the monthly liability and capital calculations for the company as well as several ad hoc tasks requiring an actuarial review.

“I have always enjoyed problem solving and mathematics - and being an actuary I participate in high level business and decision making, and have the capacity to solve real problems.

“Every day presents different situations and issues that both engage and provide an opportunity to learn something new.

“We look at problems from a different perspective in order to analyse and understand both the risks and potential benefits of certain opportunities.”

Brooks took the opportunity to reflect on the lessons that he has learnt in the pool, and how his calculated approach to games has helped him in his professional career.

“Water polo has provided me with a number of skills that have helped me get to where I am today,” Brooks said.

“It has taught me a lot about teamwork, discipline and effective leadership - it’s also taught me perseverance and how to handle challenges and difficulties in life.

“Studying at university, whilst being part of the senior men’s Water Polo program, also taught me to be organised and how to prioritise activities to ensure that all deadlines are met,” he said.

Being able to balance a career both in and out of the pool is something the Brooks values, and he has some words of advice for young water polo players.

“As a junior player it is important to not ignore the other aspects of your life while you’re working to develop your water polo skills,” Brooks said.

“Water polo is a great sport and you can have a lot of great experiences, meet great people and learn skills that will help you for the rest of your life.

“There are even some great opportunities to travel and play water polo overseas in competitions, like Europe or the US College system.

“But it is important to remember that water polo is an amateur sport in Australia and you need to think about what you will do when you are finished playing,” he said.

Brooks said that he is extremely grateful for the assistance and support he has received so far, during both his studies and professional career.

“I was involved in the Sport Scholars program at Macquarie University. They provided some financial support but more importantly they also assisted with queries about scheduling conflicts between sport and studies,” Brooks said.

“It was really important to me to have help when you are looking to reschedule deadlines or exams because they clashed with water polo commitments like travel or competition.

“I’m also extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity at Challenger.

“I joined Challenger in January 2019, as part of their intern program. Challenger took me on knowing that I was part of the Australian Men’s Program and were very supportive in providing time so that I could attend training and competition.

“In particular, the Head of Actuarial, Martin Considine, has been very supportive and at the end of my internship I was presented with an opportunity to continue working on a casual basis until a full time role became available.

“I feel like I have been very lucky - getting a job with an organisation that is great to work for and supportive of my ongoing journey and dream of competing at an Olympic Games,” he said.

Brooks, along with the rest of the KAP7 Aussie Sharks, are slowly returning to pool training, which differs State to State at the moment.  But the focus remains squarely on the Tokyo Olympic Games scheduled for July 2021.