I am spending most of today sitting in a windowless classroom listening to a monotonous speaker update me on the changes in my profession that have occurred since I sat here last year. On top of that, the profession I mention is not really the one that is true to my heart. It is a job to fall back on, if necessary. But in order to do that, I must take six hours of continuing education every year.
I have no problem with the concept that professionals, regardless of their chosen professions, should update their knowledge. In fact, I believe it is essential. What I do have a problem with is how ineffective continuing education for certain professions really is.
The particular course I refer to above is related to real estate. Since I received my first real estate license seven years ago, I’ve attended the required courses to keep the license active. I don’t work in real estate presently, although I have in the past. And I believe it’s a good idea to keep any license that one has worked to achieve. So I sit through the boring real estate continuing education classes.
How would I do it, if I were the instructor?
Well, I’d elicit more attendee participation. I wouldn’t just read from the manual that has already been distributed among the attendees. Instead, I would spend the first half hour or hour having the group silently reading the manual. Then I would have already chosen topics with which to engage attendees with discussion.
Everyone in real estate has a story to tell: the seller who didn’t disclose he needed his ex-wife’s signature, the buyer who didn’t disclose she just bought a big SUV that put a giant ding on her credit, the couple who was bankrupt and couldn’t pay the real estate agent’s commission. We’ve all been there. And we love to talk about it.
So, maybe continuing education should have a “True Confession” component where Realtors® share their war stories. It’s as much continuing education as the formal classes are.
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