How I Became a Real Estate and Insurance Agent part 1 of 3.....

First of all I'd Like to thank Nurses. 

I respect their profession and convincingly believe that they are one of the hardest working profession I came to know.  Now, why would I start thanking Nurses and the Nursing Profession? Well, because I almost became one.  I was studying to become a nurse back in 1998 and was literally 3 months away from graduating with a Bachelors of Nursing from the University of Nevada Reno in the year 2000.  Many of my classmates did not understand why I suddenly switched majors right before graduation.  But the truth is, I learned something about myself during those times in Nursing School.  I learned that being a Nurse require you to be passionate with the task at hand in the hospital.  I learned that you must love being a nurse to become one.  Even though I was passing with A's and B's throughout my nursing classes, I did not feel the passion (as a Nurse) to do this for a living.  I know that the pay is good and the profession is stable, but I seriously felt this was not my calling.  I prayed to God hard about what I should do next, and ultimately graduated 2 years later with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a minor in CIS (Computer Information Systems) at the age of 26. 
     Not to bore you with too many details, but by the age of 25 I have already received my Real Estate license. At first, I did not take Real Estate all that serious.  I attended Real Estate school (while in college) and felt that this is a profession for adults 50 years of age and over.  I sat in the class, and behold, most of the people are indeed 50 years and over.  Many of them wondered what the heck am I doing in the class room.  Whenever someone asked me, I would say " I am doing this to assist my Dad who happens to be in Real Estate as well."

By the time I graduated from college in 2002, the Real Estate Market was starting to pick up.  I was averaging 1 transaction a month (not bad at the time) and received production awards from my Real Estate Broker. I also took an interview job with Farmers Insurance right before graduation and the company decided to take me in as well.  Let me tell you the story how I got hired.  2 months before graduation, around March 2002, my Dad showed me a Reno Gazzette advertisement for Farmers Insurance.  He knows that I was looking for a job in the banking industry during that time, but felt that a career in Real Estate and Insurance will serve me well.  I called the advertisement and talked with the Assistant District Manager at the time named Bobby Turner.  The conversation went something like this (As I remembered it) :

Erwin: Telephone call. Bobby: "Hi, This is Bobby how can I help you?"
Erwin: "Hello, my name is Erwin Sigua, and I saw your ad in the paper looking for insurance agents.  I am 
           about to graduate from UNR, and I am hoping to become a Farmers Agent." 
Bobby: "Well, the position are not usually for someone who is just graduating from college, this may not be
            the career you are looking for." 
Erwin: "Oh, ok, well does it help to say that we have a Mortgage Company and my Dad and I are licensed  
           Real Estate agents?" 
Bobby : "Well, shoot, you should have told me that earlier, how does 1:30 p.m. sounds?"
Erwin: "I'll be there" Click... 

The funny thing was that I honestly believe that I would not have that interview if I was not in the Real Estate Business.  9 years later, I am still in the insurance business and loving it.  Let me end part 1 here.  Part 2 tells you my life as a Real Estate and Insurance Agent during the Real Estate Boom years....