After finally dragging my ass out of bed I made the circuit as usual.  Monster, CareerBuilder, unemployment Job Search, newspaper ads.

I happened to be cruising through the employment ads in the newspaper and saw an ad for a real estate company.  It seemed like it might satisfy my entrepreneurial side, so I made an appointment to talk with their broker.  Well, the broker had me thoroughly convinced that this would work for me.  With my detail oriented work practices and my high comfort with technology, as well as my sales experience, I should do very well in this business and I would be self-employed.  Oh, glorious words “Self-Employed”.  Working for myself.  No boss, no corporate structure.  No HR department hovering overhead threatening some re-training course for some innocuous infraction for which someone else felt threatened.  (It didn’t happen to me, but the department certainly makes you feel like you are guilty before you do anything wrong.)  So, I went home and explained to my wife about my new career choice. 

My wife deserves a little historical information.  She is a bookkeeper/accountant by trade.  She is incredibly good at it and really loves the work.  She can sit for hours and pour through numbers until she finds a missing three cents in her reports.  Well, that personality type comes with its own challenges.  She loves her routines.  She isn’t very spontaneous; she is methodical and spends a lot of time considering things. 

She is not an entrepreneur.

“What do you mean, there’s no salary?” were my memory’s recollection of her response to my chosen direction.  “How do you expect to bring in money?”  We had this conversation before when I interviewed with a computer networking company.  They had offered me the position, but with no salary.  It was 100% commission and at the time, I wasn’t convinced their product would be salable in this market.  So I kept looking for something more definite.  Comfort.

Well, we sat down and figured it all out.  The unemployment would keep paying us for several more weeks.  During which time I would take my real estate classes, take the test and get my license.  After that, I would have some time to set up my marketing and begin getting clients.  By the time I closed my first transaction unemployment would be running out and the timing would be perfect.

So, she was convinced – as was I – that this would work out exactly as I planned. 

I got my course materials, studied very hard and put a lot of hours into getting it right.  I heard the test was full of minute details that cannot be overlooked and I studied with that in mind.  I took some sample tests.  The first sample test I took, I received 72% correct.  A passing grade for the licensing exam, but not good enough.  I studied harder and learned more details.  The next sample test garnered me a 84% correct.  Much better, but I still had time before the licensing exam and I spent it learning more details.  The day of the licensing exam came.  I showed up at the licensing location, gave them all my info to prove I was who I claimed to be.  I sat down at a computer and proceeded to bang out the answers to the test.  One person finished before I did which really put the pressure on.  I struggled to focus on the exam because my mind was wondering if I was getting answers right or was I falling into the trap of trick questions.  The licensing exam is incredibly detail oriented and many of the questions deal with legal and practical issues that arise for which the logical answer isn’t necessarily the right thing to do.  You need to remember real estate law and apply the law to find the solution.  Well, my mind was reeling with the possiblility of failing the exam because of some obscure law that I forgot; or some terminology that I mixed up dealing with Joint tenancy or tenants in common and rights of survivorship.  I started to shake a bit and I remember wondering if I should just get up and leave.

I finally got hold of my attention again and was able to refocus on the remaining questions.  I answered them; finished the test; then quietly left the room to await the results.  I waited for about 5 minutes when they finally called my name so I could retrieve my results.  I passed.  When you pass, they don’t give you a score or a percentage or a fanfare with a brass band.  They only tell you that you passed.  If I had failed, I would have been given results indicating where I needed to study more and which topics I should focus on.  I did however receive my temporary license form which needed to be filled in by my new broker. 

Off to the brokers office.  I met with the broker where my form was signed; I went over numerous brokerage forms and discussed compensation (commission) packages.  I chose a package that worked for a new agent and I was off and running.  Show up on Monday morning to get acclimated and learn the routine.

Call my parents.  Everyone is excited.  I am independent.  I am an entrepreneur.  I am self-employed.

I am scared.