Jerry Lasselle is an instructor for PCC’s real estate broker test prep course and has taught the course for more than ten years. He’s worked as an accountant for a large national CPA firm and also as a staff attorney for large Northwest law firm. He’s lived in Portland all his life and says he’s amazed at the many changes the city has experienced. We recently checked in with him to learn more about his experience with real estate and what continues to inspire his interest.
How did you become interested in the subject matter?
I practiced as a lawyer in Portland before becoming a teacher and worked on many real estate projects. I was always fascinated with how big developments came together, and all the different parties involved.
What is it about the subject that compels you to remain interested?
Portland has been on a real estate boom now for over 5 years and it’s exciting to help prepare new real estate professionals to enter the industry.
Share an interesting thing that you have learned from your students.
Most of my Professional Education students have college degrees and have been in business themselves. They are definitely smart students and want to get maximum knowledge from the course so they can be successful in their real estate careers. It’s hard to stay a step ahead of them in teaching this course.
What class are you teaching this term?
Currently I’m teaching the Broker Test Prep course.
How will your students be impacted by this class?
The main mission of the Broker Test Prep course is to enable each student to pass the state licensing exam. In addition I hope to give students a good basic knowledge of how buying and selling all kinds of real estate works in the real world.
How do you intend to keep exploring this subject matter?
I take continuing education courses from the Oregon State Bar and CPA’s to keep up with current trends within the industry.
Are there any current trends related to the subject matter that you find interesting?
As everyone knows in Portland, real estate prices keep skyrocketing. Where is this all going to end?
How long have you been teaching at PCC?
I started teaching at PCC over 30 years ago as a full time Business Administration instructor. I retired full time in 2013 and have been teaching part time for CLIMB since then.
What do you like about working at PCC?
I enjoy the broad background of our diverse students. Some are young just out of high school and others are middle age returning to education to improve their lives.
What day/time can people take your class? What is its CRN/CEU?
All my classes are currently online. My Fall CRN is 46077/3673.