Solano Real Estate Scene: Continuing education = American Dream

Continuing education is required in most license-required professions. Realtors, loan officers, CPAs, CFPs, EAs, nurses, doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, bankers, insurance agents, peace officers, contractors and scientists attend required continuing education classes. This continuing education is after they get educated in the first place and get hired and licensed, which in some cases requires as little as six months of up-front schooling and a passing grade on the state test, to as much as 10 years of college and, in some cases, starving for years until they become a highly paid professional. Continuing education is the key to the American Dream and financial success. My best friend from grammar school started working for an elevator company 40 years ago as an apprentice in San Francisco. This industry can be a little up and down, but my friend’s career has been nothing but upward. He had to work his butt off for the first five to 10 years to become a journeyman and make a significant income. Yes, the elevator mechanics union is powerful but believe me, folks, you do not make it 40 years with one company if you do not work hard and participate in continuing education to become the most valuable elevator mechanic possible. I know some super seniors who never made more than $25 per hour who are now financially set for life. These folks were not born financial geniuses. They continually educated themselves on investing from reading books, listening to mentors, attending seminars, investing wisely and weekly, managing debt and frugally managing their hard-earned money. Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that American companies embraced to compete with Japan in the late 1980s. Kaizen is about getting a little bit better and smarter every week. If a person, team or company gets 1% better each week, a 52% improvement per year will be the result. I coached children’s basketball for 20 years and my mantra was always “practice makes perfect.” Rome wasn’t built overnight and a person doesn’t graduate from high school with a 740 FICO score and a 401(k) plan balance of $100,000. A Realtor does not pass the state exam and immediately become a top producer and real estate expert. Greatness comes from many years of hard work, continuing education and a burning desire to achieve success. There is no free lunch.