Questions about becoming a Realtor in Utah

[Nikki Jacob]

I've been listening to tons of podcasts, reading blogs, books, articles, and I think that I want to take the path of becoming a real estate agent so that I can have access to the MLS without having to bother someone else. My question is to anyone that knows the laws in Utah; if I go to school, pay all the Realtor dues and fees, do I have to be under a brokerage if I'm just doing my own stuff and not practicing as a Realtor to the general public? I spoke with an agent a while ago, but failed to ask her this. She did tell me all the fees involved and it's somewhere around $1,500 a year, or am I way off? I know there will be more costs involved initially with school and licensing, can anyone give me more exact numbers? Anyway, I don't want to actually work as an agent, so I don't want to get a job at a brokerage, but I'm not sure if I can legally get away with that. Am I completely in left field, or is any of this accurate?