Laura Isaksen:  

I earned my Associate's Degree to accomplish my high school ambition. I realized while I was taking Business cIasses that I really enjoyed assisting my teachers. Hurray for Taunton High School Business Education Department for helping become a star student. I had a big choice to make--2 more years of college to become a Business Teacher like all of those that I admired but with a low starting salary ($19-20k) or apply for one of the top 2 jobs posted at Fisher College in Boston for a much higher salary ($34-37k) which I was assured I would have my pick from. I had a choice of only 2 colleges: Suffolk and Salem. The Director at Salem knew the same business and computer info. as me and much more. That was a fairly easy choice. I got my real estate license when I was 19 and going to college to help pay the bills. I also went from working as an Administrative Assistant to Office Manager to doing commercial real estate including financial analysis for $2-20 million loans. That was pretty exciting considering I wasn't the best Accounting student! I told my parents 'But this is different.' Real estate helped me meet a life-long friend, buy my first new car and my first house which I bought with my big brother Scott Petersen. Unfortunately, I had a nightmare neighbor. My friends said I could write a book with ever...Expand for more