Very true.  Always keep on learning.  If it doesn't pay off in the short run, don't despair...its very likely to pay off in the long run!

Thats why I am turning into a AR addict. I

I totally agree.  That said - what can the LO's on this board help in furthering your education?

Education ought not to cease when we leave school, but if well begun there, will continue through life. Sir John Lubbock

I learn more everyday from everyone around me, including my children, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

KAUSHIK:  Thanks for your comment.  I find that the maxim "You learn something new every day" is so true.  Everything that you learn can help you in life and business in some way.

REBECCA:  You and me both.  Thanks for commenting.

Brian- Since I was not formally educated due to poor decisions as a teenager, I come from a family of super highly intelligent genes. My mother was a genius Phi Beta Kapa Stanford University with full scholarships, her mother spoke and taught over 14 languages. One of my daughters and one of my sons are genius. My daughter was a college student at age 14. I am highly intelligent but not with formal schooling. I self taught myself most of what I know. I love to read and I listen to CDs of seminars and self development in my car whenever I drive somewhere. I talk to everyone about what they know and learn from others, and now of course I have Active Rain to learn from also. With the internet age there is no excuse not to learn. You can learn most anything you desire to learn on the net. I home schooled 6 children, and I am now homeschooling our last one and I learn so much from just doing that. Things we forget about basic science, geography and math. It is wonderful because I believe the teacher learns more than the student! Katerina

MATTHEW:  Thanks for your comments.  I think that loan officers can provide a lot of information that would be very useful to us Realtors in talking to our clients and having an increased understanding of how the lending industry works.  Information on how to form a successful Realtor/Lender partnership, how to market jointly and maybe an article on how lenders perceive Realtors and what makes a lender want to work with particular agents.

MANA:  I like that quote!  I'm sure that you learn a great deal from your children -- I don't have any yet, but children do have so much to teach and their open minds which are constantly exploring cause us to look at the same old things in new ways.  Thanks for your comments.

KATERINA:  Thanks for your great comment.  You certainly have quite a set of genes there!  14 languages -- that's quite amazing -- especially since there are plenty of people who struggle with just one.  It's wonderful to hear that you subscribe to Zig Ziglar's notion of the "automobile university" -- I also listen to CDs of seminars and college courses while in the car.  It sounds like you are a very active learner.  While I was privileged to graduate from an Ivy League university and to have gone to law school, I never rest on my laurels or believe that anyone is less intelligent because they lack formal schooling.  Lots of the smartest, most interesting, knowledgeable and wealthiest people never had the opportunity for formal education.  The internet certainly provides a fantastic way to learn about just about everything.  I can't count the hours I've spent reading about myriad subjects on Wikipedia -- you can learn about anything.  

Congratulations on homeschooling 7 children -- wow! you've had your hands full with so many children.  But, it is such a blessing.  I'm looking forward to having children in the next couple of years.  Homeschooling is an option we've thought about but haven't had time to research or really look into it.  Have you corresponded with Jason Crouch at all here on AR -- I know his children are being homeschooled as well.  

BTW, I'll be in Boca Raton from Monday through Monday during Thanksgiving week visiting my parents.  It's certainly a busy week for everyone, but maybe we can squeeze in a lunch or coffee one day if you are available.

Brian:  I LOVED your, Hi, My Name is sticker!  What a great post, I gave it a 5!  This is what I put on my sticker...It's a little hokey but whatever it takes to increase web traffic plus it's a great conversation starter!

Brian,

I couldn't agree more.  I love to learn. I excelled in school because I love to learn.  I  read constantly and I love taking classes to further my education.  Unlike many agents, my continuing education classes are not the basic sit just to get a credit type classes. I actually want to learn so I seek out topics of interest! I earned my GRI and am now working on my CRS.  After that, I don't know what will be next.  I have thought about going back to get my masters or my j.d. but it will have to be later in life when my children are older. 

Education, regardless of the form, should be continual. Your quote summed it up extremely well......

Too many people expect the market to stay static, but it is anything but static.....we live in dynamic times, where you must keep learning just to stay current.....

What an awesome positive post!

SHANNON:  I like your nametag sticker.  Do you really wear that?  I think it's great!  Thanks for your comments and compliments.

Well not that particular sticker but when I'm handed one at a networking event I do add .com to Shannon.  I own it, it grabs attention...I might as well. :)

GINGER:  Thanks for your comments.  I had a feeling that you would agree with this post.  I excelled in school as well and am always reading something whether it is on the internet, in a magazine, the two newspapers I read a day, or the four books that I'm currently in the middle of reading.  To give you an idea of my range of reading, I'm currently reading a book on real estate, a book on negotiations, a book on the history of gambling, and "The New Way Things Work" by David Macaulay.  

GRI classes were good but the CRS are even better.  I earned my CRS back in January and then attended the CRS Sell-a-Bration which was awesome!  Of course, I also have a law degree which was 3 extra years of classes.  But like you, I'm definitely a lifelong student.

BILL:  Thanks for your comments and compliments on the post.  I really appreciate it.  You are right -- the market is changing constantly and we need to learn and change with it.  I love learning new things and enjoy learning from all of the people around me.

SHANNON:  That really is a great idea.  Thanks for coming to respond.

Brian- Yes, I am in touch with Jason Crouch. Ashley Drake in New Mexico homeschools and so does Cyndee Haydon in Clearwater Florida from Active Rain members. It is great for self employed people. One of the perks is we go on vacations when everyone else is in school so we beat the crowds! Vicky Arcura from AR in Ft Lauderdale was a homeschooled student. It is always nice to meet the kids when they are grown up that were homeschooled.

I would love to meet you when you are over the Thanksgiving week. Nestor and I would love to have lunch on one of those days. Just let me know when. Thanks! That would be an honor. Katerina

Brian - I was a straight A student through high school and wanted to be all done with education at 22, when I got my graduate degree. Having a baby, defending my dissertation and working full time seemed like a lot then. But I just couldn't stop learning - seemed boring without it. BTW - that is some awesome dancing you learned - one day you guys should teach those of us that are dancing-challenged. We have a lot of people here on AR, who are so different, yet so much the same.

You're right.  I moved to Florida from D.C., and everyone on my block back home was an attorney, or a doctor, including the wives.  Coming here surprises me.  I live in an affluent community, but there's a conspicuous absence of college-educated people.  These are small business owners who made it big. 

Actually, it's a pleasant change. 

KATERINA:  Thanks for stopping by again.  Sounds like a lot of homeschoolers are hanging around here.  I hadn't thought about that perk -- you can schedule the school year anyway you want! 

I'll let you know know more about my schedule when things get closer.  It would be great to get together. 

FAINA:  As you've obviously seen, education never ends.  Though for me, most tests are pretty easy these days after having studied for and passed the bar exam.  I still remember that summer after law school where I literally did nothing but study, eat, sleep, and study some more.  My only break between end of May and end of July was for July 4th weekend and my birthday.

There are definitely a wide range of people here on AR, all with differences, but many similarities, and I've been soaking up lots of knowledge, as I'm sure you have as well.  Thanks for the compliments on the dancing, and thanks for your comments. 

PATSY: The D.C. area truly is a region with lots of overachievers!  It is a high pressure place with very demanding clients as well.  I'm glad that you are enjoying life and business in St. Augustine.  Thanks for your comments.

Love the post, Brian. I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge and learning new things. I proudly call myself a nerd. I love meeting other "lifelong learners." Todd Clark, Beaverton Realtor also homeschools his children. I loved Katerina's comments, especially about her mother speaking and teaching 14 languages. It is my goal to be a polyglot in my lifetime. I know how to speak several languages a little bit, but I want to master them. I think that future clients of yours will appreciate this post because you talk about your love for learning new things and new people.

Brian - I firmly agree with you.  Ours is an ever-changing industry, and I still learn something on almost every transaction that I handle.  Great post!

I think I am an education addict.  Offer a class, and I will come.  Not only do we learn new things and remember what we forgot, but we get motivated to try the lesson du jour.  That keeps us fresh and separates us from the agents who learn the business once and resent changes - Kinda remind me of the homes that were decorated once in the 70's and never updated.  We need updating, and our mandatory CE is not enough!

BRIDGET:  Thanks for your comments and compliments.  I'm sure that you were never though of as the "nerd" in school.  I thought Katerina's comments were great too.  While I know a bit of French, it's very rusty and not the most useful language around these parts.  My wife is fluent in Spanish which comes in very handy both here and when we've vacationed in Puerto Rico and Mexico.  When we have children, I certainly want to encourage them to learn languages at an early age.  The skills gained in learning another language translate well into other intellectual pursuits.  

JASON:  Thanks for your comment.  I certainly learn something on every transaction as well whether it is from the other agent, the lender, my clients, the inspector, or some mistake that happens.  Each transaction helps us prepare for the next one and make the next one go smoother.

MARGARET:  It's funny, when I sat down to write this post, it initially was going to be about the 4 days of classes that I'll be attending next week -- our local association conference, two day staging class, and broker class -- but as I got writing the original plan shifted and this is what developed.  I find that if I learn just one new thing (which I always do) that can help me somehow, then the class was worth it, even if the rest of the day was boring or not useful.  I like your analogy of the homes that were never updated -- they are certainly not as appealing or worth as much as those that have kept up with the times.  Thanks for your comments.