Realtors get a lot of flack. 
When the market is hot, the public thinks we get paid too much money for doing next to nothing. When a home sells in a matter of minutes after placing the sign in the ground, can you blame the consumer for wondering why we get paid $10K, $15K, $25K? Of course, we know that we're getting paid for all the work that happens between contract and closing, but good luck getting the clients to understand that.
On the flip side, when homes languish on the market for months, people are quick to blame us instead of the condition or location of the home, their overambitious pricing, the local job market, the overall real estate market. Realtors are the scapegoats.
We can't win either way. And on top of it all, consumers all think we are millionaires. Why? It's printed right on the business cards -- multi-zillion dollar producer, #1 agent, life member million dollar club.
It's been reported many times that being a real estate broker or agent is not a prestigious occupation. Very few kids aspire to be a Realtor "when they grow up." A Harris poll ranked occupations by prestige and we came in at the bottom with only 5% thinking working in real estate had prestige. Scientists, doctors, firefighters, teachers, military officers, and nurses were at the top of the heap. Member of Congress weighed in at 31%, while lawyers garnered 17%!
Thus, it is no wonder that many people questioned my decision to move from a "prestigious" legal career to a less than "prestigious" career helping people with the most important financial decisions in their life by assisting with their real estate needs. I guess it is just not as sexy to tell your friends and family that you are a Realtor as it is to say you are a "high-powered D.C. corporate attorney." Read my opinions on The Difference Between Realtors & Lawyers
But, like you, I did not choose real estate for its prestige.
Yesterday, I received my copy of the ABA Journal -- "The Lawyer's Magazine" which contains a cover story on the "Pulse of the Legal Profession" with its exclusive survey about "what lawyers think about their jobs and lives". The details of this story confirm for me that I made the right decision in joining the ranks of the Realtors.
Some of the findings of the survey included:
69% of attorneys believe that "Lawyers have become less civil to each other over time."
- 55% of attorneys are satisfied with their career. For those in practice less than 10 years, the number falls to below 50%. Of big-firm lawyers, the number is 44%.
- Only 44% of current attorneys would "recommend a legal career to a young person."
These statistics do not present a flattering picture of the legal profession.
Early in my legal career, a senior attorney suggested that I read James B. Stewart’s “The Partners: Inside America’s Most Powerful Law Firms.” He thought that it would give me some insight into the excitement of the elite practice of corporate law. While the stories of the corporate and legal power play of mergers & acquisitions and corporate IPOs was interesting, there was something in the book that made even more of an impression on me.
At the end of each chapter, there was a page or two that detailed the personal lives of the attorneys involved in the big deals. Without exception, each one had been divorced, became an alcoholic, missed out on their children’s lives, or suffered some major illness – all stemming from the stress and long hours of work in the big law firm.
I decided then and there that this was not a tradeoff that I wanted.
I don't know what the statistics are for Realtors (and it is true that there is a lot of Realtor turnover -- see Another One Bites the Dust: Realtor Turnover), but I do know one thing:
I am happy and proud to be a Realtor!
And I'm guessing that you are too.
Posted by 
Brian,
I love being a Realtor also! I have noticed that a lot of top producers have a hard time keeping a good relationship and i think a lot of it has to do with time management and being able to say "No". I know that I am guilty of not saying no enough and getting too busy to spend time with my family. The great thing about being with EXIT Realty is that now instead of saying yes or no to a potential client I can "DELEGATE" to another Realtor in the EXIT Realty system and they make money and I get the sponsoring bonus (I do enough of these that it is like making a SALARY), and I get to spend time with my family too!!! COOL HUH???? Everyone wins! Have a great day!