Before you go back to school, take this quiz. 

My academic pedigree has always been something I make light of, but it has served me well over the past couple decades.  I've always said, "With all of the education behind me, you would think I'd be smarter than I am."  Well, there's a lot of truth in that.

I'm starting to find this in real estate too.  The learning never ends.  I've been in and out of real estate classes all week this week.  Ironically, I already have all of my CEUs for my next license renewal in Virginia and West Virginia, but there are topics I'm just attracted to that all showed up in available classes at the same time.  Fortunately, most of the studies have been in my community, but today I was off to Richmond, VA for a class.

Getting up at 4:45 am and heading down the highway just after 5:00 am was not my idea of a great way to start the day, but I learned a long time ago that education that is valuable is worth a little sacrifice.  Not only is it exercise for the brain, but it sharpens you like the tip of a sword.  I'm not a big fan of voluminous certifications and long strings of initials behind a name (even though I have a number of them), but I am a huge fan of smart, timely and effective information.

A certification, or a class that can immediately help me be a more efficient business person is a class I view as well thought out and well taught.  Before you sign you up for a class, webinar, seminar or a certification, ask yourself:

• Will this make me a better Realtor?
• Is this something I can't learn at the level I need outside of the classroom?  One class I took this week failed this test.  
• Will this make me a more confident and proficient professional? Too many webinars, seminars and certifications only skim this question positively.
• Is the education I'm about to receive worth the price?  I went to a seminar in the summer that ended with a sign-up phase that was so expensive that I couldn't justify it on a good year.  If I'm going to spend five figures for the education and service, it better produce a six figure result.  There were no guarantees or refunds.  I have over 230 graduate and post graduate credits in the degrees I hold.  I could have bought a house with the tuition I've paid, but the value added impact on my life has far exceeded the money spent.  Is it worth the price?
  
• Will the information I'm learning be valuable a year from now?  You can pretty much guarantee that certain phases of the industry are going to change nearly every year.  You wouldn't need to attend a seminar on the value of using a fax machine in real estate.  That is so last decade.  What about the value of using email?  The majority of my clients want me to text updates.  Email is quickly becoming irrelevant.  Is the information you're about to pay for with your time and money going to matter a year from now?  You're tech savvy enough to know if something is passe.
  

Everybody has a product to sell, but not every product will make you better at your job.  Do your homework before you sign on to a product or service.  Talk to others who have experienced the class or product.  Pick and choose wisely, and get your money's worth so you reflect your investment by your competence and performance.