For many people purchasing a house is one of the most important decisions of their lives. In the CTE building, juniors and seniors work hard to become future professionals in this field and assist people.
Getting into the real estate field can be frightening, especially when other agents seem to be more experienced; however, the school real estate class offers students an opportunity to get a head start on a life-long career. This course is taken at school for high school credit and state hour credits.
The real estate students say they seek to be informed on the real estate field for their own interest and to be able to be well equipped to have a career in it.
“I’m taking this class to further educate myself on what I’m going to do with my future,” senior Bryce Whitely said. “I want to understand what real estate agents to use and how the field works and I will be better equipped for this career that I anticipate to go into.”
Students say their day-to-day activities look similar; they use their materials and work self-paced with their textbooks and computers. They also say they’re provided with study materials that help them retain the knowledge acquired.
“I always get in here take my textbook out, my highlighters, pens, and try to make it fun for myself,” junior Jennifer Briceno said. “I do quizzes on my computer and watch videos provided by the program we use. The crossword puzzles and videos are the most popular sources that we use to reinforce our knowledge in vocabulary.”
Mrs. Gehovak, the teacher of the real estate class, says that the program taken by students places the responsibility solely on the students due to the online-only nature of the class.
“The program the students use is an online self-paced program and it allows the students to work in the way they learn best,” CTE teacher Cheryl Gehovak said. “This year we have done better with navigation through the program, but there is always room for improvement.”
The real estate students feel more prepared for their future career fields as a result of taking this class. The effort the class and exams take relates to the real world.
“The class prepares me for the real world and to get into the business field,” senior Carolina Monge said. “Especially in today’s generation, I feel more prepared by taking this class. Like, I prepared a lot for that [Principles I] exam. I felt so relieved when I completed my hours and passed my exam.“
Gehovak says that she encourages people to join the class because of the benefits in becoming a real estate agent, but they should know the requirements. She also says there are benefits in taking the class in high school than taking it out of school.
“I would tell kids who want to join that being a real estate agent allows you to not work a 9-5 and they can make their own schedule. Doing the course though the high school allows for cost efficiency and for this allows for more interaction and support from your peers. This is an amazing opportunity in my opinion, but it does require effort,” Gehovak said.
