Convenience of scheduling should NOT be the primary consideration
By Larry A. Outlaw, Director of Education and Licensing
There are currently 276 different Commission-approved elective courses, and a glance at the spring schedule shows elective courses on a wide variety of topics available in 68 different towns and cities across the state. However, after talking with licensees and continuing education instructors, the Commission has determined that most licensees don't take advantage of this choice of topics to satisfy their CE requirements. Instead, they seem to choose convenience of location and scheduling over subject matter; i.e., where and when a course is held is the deciding factor rather than whether or not the course addresses a topic of interest to the licensee.
To ensure that the CE program is meaningful to you, you must assume responsibility for checking into elective courses before you enroll, and choose ones that offer meaningful instruction on desired subject matter. A simple phone call to a sponsor asking about course topics will help you determine whether or not the course is appropriate for you.
Furthermore, you should make your course needs known to sponsors. This is especially true if you work in a specialty area (such as property management or commercial brokerage) and you want to see more course offerings that address your specialty. If you are a member of an organized specialty group, you may also want to suggest that your group consider working with a qualified educator to develop and sponsor courses to suit your particular needs.
Finally, don't wait until the June 10 deadline to take your CE courses. Classes tend to get very full in June, and your choices then may be more limited.