THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIGHER EDUCATION AND REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE.

Well I certainly don't have any formal higher education. I opted for my GED after the 10th grade. I found school to be very boring. I had no desire or need to learn chemistry, geometry, french or any of the other time wasters. I did have an overwhelming desire to get out into the world and make my mark.

I do however consider myself very educated. I just didn't need school to get there.

When I grew up in the U.K. higher education was not particulary encouraged for women.  We became secretaries, nurses, or housewives.  I came through the school of hard knocks.  I was a lousy student.  "Does not concentrate" and "could do better" permeated my report cards.  I think the only thing I missed by not going to University was the discipline needed focus in on what is necessary to succeed, and the contacts I could have made. I certainly did not miss out on the education part, nor the skills to write and, may I say, spell. However, in those days, the English system of education was say different from today's. 

As someone who did not go to college, I am sensitive to the notion that I am somehow not as equipped for business as those who did,, especially when I see the some of the grammar and spelling that issues forth from those people.

A degree in Business can give someone an advantage but possessing common sense and passion for this industry can bring a person great success as well. Those are  just my thoughts Lenn.

My formal education in civil engineering taught me alot of things - so they say about being analytical, methodical and systematic. Hence, clients who care about the details find me very impressive and those who dont, know that they can rely on my personality to take care of their business.

However, I do believe it's a combination of book school and school of life that taught me to become whom I am. My good corporate years as a Structural Engineer, I worked closely with 2 very conservative men that has influenced me to whom I am today. I chose to learn to build a strong character than what I actually did for work.

I've read once on AR that featured bloggers tend to write better posts, their thoughts are well-formulated and well-deserving. I must agree that experience also counts on how you present your materials.

Did school teach all that? All I know that in Engineering school, I learnt what DISCIPLINE is. If I didn't start working on the assignment the day it's assigned, I wouldn't be able to finish it when it's due a week later. It's not uncommon that we turn in a 30 or 50-page homework of Engineering Math or Design. Gosh, just thinking back about those times just give me chill. I wonder how I survived.

It sure does. I just smiled. Constant featured bloggers are not only better writers, they are better thinkers. Perhaps, better teachers too.

@Lenn,

I respect your opinion, but I think the idea that the institution of higher learning makes the difference (or has the potential to be the difference) between the performance higher and lower performing agents is skewed.

If anything, I think IQ plays a part in the success of any profession.  The ability to obtain an undergradutae or graduate degree demonstrates higher IQ.  I would hazard a guess that an IQ test would be a much better predictor of performance than the completion of a college degree program.

I got thru high school and a couple of months at a junior college and got married.  My education is self made thru determination and insatiable thirst for knowing why, when, how, what and where.  I read everything I can get my hands on that I think pertains to me, real estate, customer service and life in general. Great post Lenn!

Lenn - You wrote "Unlike the test for a real estate license, students in courses of higher education must present "papers" written by themselves (hopefully), not pass/fail by tests of multiple choice."

In Ontario, until about a year ago, only the first course had a multiple choice test (or what I prefer to call a "multiple guess" test).  It was used to weed quickly weed out those who did poorly since it was answered on bubble in computer card.  The remaining exams were short answer and longer answer questions.  Until a couple of years ago, the exams were open book but then became closed book.  About a year ago, all exams became multiple guess exams on a computer.

Interesting thoughts, I came over from Lorena's blog and wanted to read what you had to say.  I think you summed it up best that we all bring different strengths to the industry based upon our past.  The most amazing stat to me is that some 85% of realtors have no prior sales experience before getting into this industry.  I wonder how that stat corrolates to success.  It is probably a positive corrolation coefficient, for those who had statistics in college.

You are right about every individual bringing their unique skills and background to the table.  I thought that I had a great background coming into this industry. 

There are two types of people that I'm jealous about.  The people who came into this industry with a professional photography background or construction industry.

Lenn,

According to the NAR Member Profile 2010.  The average agent is a "54 year old, college educated white female who owns a home." p.45

Earlier, you wrote, "Still, I believe that the opportunity to learn to write is usually first gained in academic courses at the college level."

The level of writing necessary for this field should have been learned in the eighth grade. The fact is the majority of agents are college educated and perform horribly.  According the the aforementioned publication, the average net income of agents is less than $22k while averaging 40 hours of work per week of work.

I have two higher degrees designed for my desired vocation.  It is my opinion that degrees are a useless waste of time unless they train someone specifically for a trade.  They are designed to enslave a generation in useless debt.

If we could simply give IQ tests as a means of determining who gets hired rather than doing some PC dance around who gets hired, then your desired outcome will be achieved without miring a young adult down in $100k of debt.

Lenn,

You are absolutely right, but when I say a vocational degree, I'm simply speaking of a degree with a specific career path.  For instance, I have a master of theology degree designed specifically for folks who want to enter ministry.  A lawyer might obtain her Juris Doctor.

For clarity, I suppose I should say "professional degree."  Instead of "trade" I should say profession.

Many people major in "Liberal Arts, Sociology, Business Administration" and other ambiguous degrees that do not have a defined career path.  If a person studies hard and fully utilizes her public education, she should obtain the skills necessary to be a productive real estate professional.  She can then obtain designations like her GRI or ABR.

I'm sorry that I have taken up so much of your blog, but this is something I'm passionate about.  According to the NCES IPEDS Graduation Survey, on 55% of americans graduate who attend college.  My guess is the true numbers are less than that.

Kids incur all of that debt, and many get out of college with no more idea what profession they are going into than they did prior to atttending.  The big difference is that now they are $75K in the hole.  They can't file bankruptcy on that amount of money.  The debt will literally follow them for life until it's paid or they die.

Since the majority of students use financial aid in the form of student loans, this debt problem is epidemic.  We feed young people this idea that they need a college education AND we urge them to pay for the entire thing on credit.  It's terrible financial advice, and we are indebting a generation.