Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Sorry for not blogging as much

Wow, I realized I haven't posted for an entire week, so I thought I'd better write a little something to stay updated - I certainly don't want my blog to die!

On the 24th (last Sunday) I had a free workshop by the educational company I used to purchase my course material for the Real Estate licensing requirements. They put on a free workshop to help you pass the state exam in the hopes of using them again in the future for the further education requirements needed in the years to come to keep your license current. A good move, IMO, and good business practice.

The workshop was almost all day long at a hotel near the Oakland airport and I WALKED home because the time it ended was during Aidan's naptime and Golf had dropped me off in the morning. It was more than 5 miles to get home! I still like challenging myself like that and I should walk a long distance like that at least once a week, but I just don't get that chance - or I should say I don't make the opportunity to do it. I felt good when I got home, but a little bit stiff. My usual walks with Aidan are between 2.5 and 3 miles.

So the way I've been spending my days since summer vacation started is waking up by 5:45, studying between 6-7 AM, then studying during Aidan's 2 1/2 hour naps during the afternoon. I should be good to go by the 9th. This is why I haven't been blogging much - I've been studying!

I'm not putting much effort in finding work until after my exam. I've got one company with potential that I was wary of earlier, but with further investigating I learned that they are OK, so I will attempt a 2nd interview with them after the 9th. If I can get on with this company, then I'll go forward with finding a duplex. Golf just got another big job in too, so it's a relief to get extra funds in the bank because we all know how expensive moving is with the deposit required on the new place, current rent on our apartment, and rent for the new place. We also need to pay for some helpers to move our larger furniture into the moving truck and pay for the truck too. So many expenses! I'll be glad to get it all done and overwith.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Exam date is set!

Not a lot has been going on since I last posted. School is now out for the summer. I had one final big week of substitute teaching the week before final exams and last week were finals, so I never needed to go in to sub.

I've been actively looking for work in Sacramento, but have not gotten any bites yet. In the meantime, I've got a few more chapters left in my book, and then I have a workshop in Oakland to ensure a pass on the state real estate salesperson license exam. I signed up online today for my state exam and it's set for July 9 at 1 PM. Shortly after that, I hope we can start looking for a place to live in Sac.

Transition is not easy, but it is necessary for growth.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Job plans and a long term goal

I got my resume all spiffied up and looking great. My plan is to start sending it to companies by this Wednesday. I went to a presentation for one company referred to me last Friday but it ended up sounding more like a MLM company, although the premise of it is something I am quite enthusiastic about: Building your wealth so that you're financially free and stable by retirement age and NOT dependent upon the government. Social Security is simply going to bankrupt long before Generation Xers and later retire, so plan on having nothing from the government and do what you will today to prepare.

Anyway, I was disappointed that this company seemed more like Amway in the end, but the good news is that jobs in the real estate industry are in high demand, probably because of high competition. So I'm looking right now and the plan is to find a job, THEN a place to live so I don't have to commute. Since living in Bangkok where my school was always a short walk away, I got spoiled with having no commute. Even where I live now the school where I substitute teach most often is a short 10 minute drive away on surface streets. Never again -- esp. with the price of gas. I want to find a place to live that is close by my office and I also plan to sign up with that school disctrict to be a PT sub teacher until my earnings as a loan officer pick up.
Short term goal: to be moved back to Sacramento by July and start working at my new job.

Long term goal discussed with Golf: I hope to be able to visit Thailand within a year and a half. Aidan will be about 3 1/2 and hopefully more manageable. He's sure got the TERRIBLE two's and I can't imagine having to deal with him on a 19 hour flight to BKK. Ugh.