So said John McCain during his acceptance speech and the RNC convention.
And I think he’s right!
He was of course talking about our youth – I am of course thinking about my friends the real estate professionals.
Let’s start with our kids. Survey after survey states that the US is falling behind when it comes to international education rankings. It would seem that many countries like Japan, Korea, Finland, New Zealand and even the United Kingdom have developed more effective education systems in recent years.
Generally speaking US reading results are lower than 30 years ago, and in a 2006 reading survey spanning 40 countries our 4th graders came 14th. SAT scores are basically unchanged the last 3 decades. Even in Science in which the USA features the best we are behind countries such as Finland, Hong Kong, Australia and, Germany. Even our neighbors to the north, Canada are us one up.
So John McCain or Barack Obama, you have an important and huge responsibility on your shoulders for the decade ahead.
Meanwhile back on the real estate ranch we are also sadly lacking. Compared to many other “jobs” or “professions” we are in most cases way behind. In a few states you can get your real estate license for as little as 40 hours.
40 hours??
That’s about 5% the time we take every year just to research and write Swanepoel Trends Report. So what’s in the Real Estate Licensing Exam. 100 multiple choice questions, some basic comprehension of real estate terms and a few simple math calculations.
Not good enough!!
If we want smarter and brighter kids that have a better future, then education is the key.
If we want more professional real estate agents that have a successful career, then education is key. |
