Realtor

At the career fair, I spoke with a very glamourous woman who sold real estate. She didn't have much to say about her job, but she had on the most amazing clothes. At the end of the day, I watched her drive away in the coolest sports car I have ever seen.

I picture myself dressed in a sleek pant suit, driving a luxury car out to a trendy neighborhood to meet a buyer. I walk my client through the perfect house and they buy it on the spot. I make a huge commission and go straight to the mall to buy some new clothes. I think, yes, that is my dream career!

Time to do some research. I start by watching a real estate reality show on television. Yep, all of the realtors look perfect, drive fancy cars and show the most amazing houses. They are awfully competitive though, sometimes even a bit mean to each other. Maybe I should talk to a local realtor. After all, there are no houses around my neighborhood that look like the houses I see selling on television.

I call a realtor whose name and phone number are plastered on a sign in front of a house a few blocks away. He tells me he is out showing houses, but agrees to speak with me later in the day about his job as a realtor. He calls me back late in the afternoon sounding exhausted. When I explain that being a realtor would be a dream job, driving luxury cars and all that, he laughs hysterically and thanks me for adding some humor to his day. He tells me that while he loves selling houses, it is hardly a glamorous job and the income varies depending on the housing market. He confirms that there are times he makes really good money, but he needs to stash it away for the hard times as well. He drives an average looking car and wears professional, non-designer clothes. He also tells me that he works a lot of weekends, finds it hard to take vacations for fear of losing a listing or sale, and that some of his clients are "quite demanding."

I am not sure I like the idea of working every weekend. I am also not the best about setting money aside, hence my vision of taking my commissions straight to the mall. I’ll have to think about this a bit.