NY Real Estate Salesperson - Questions about license process

[Brady Boyer]

I have been researching and am considering getting my real estate salesperson license in New York. I know this is a widely debated topic on BiggerPockets, and I have no intention of ever being a real estate agent full time. However, I am considering get licensed to have access to the MLS and being able to view properties whenever I want. I also have aspirations of some day owning a real estate management company which is another reason why I would like to get my salespersons license (and eventually potentially my brokers license).

I have a couple of questions below, and I was hoping the community would be able to answer them:

1.) Do you think the above reasons are valid reasons for getting a license? Specifically, I am interested in the MLS reason because I have heard that this isn't a huge advantage anymore because you can search MLS listings on Zillow or similar online sites. What is your opinion on this?

2.) How does the MLS access work? Would I be given access to the MLS upon completion of the real estate course (75 hours in NY) and passing of the state exam? Or is this something that I would have to receive from a broker? Is there any type of monthly or annual fee associated with access to the MLS?

3.) Is there an experience component to receive the license in NY? For example are you required to work under a broker for a certain amount of time prior to being able to receive the license? I haven't been able to find any information on this topic on the internet.

4.) I am interested in doing an online, self-study course to fulfill the real estate course (75 hour) requirement. Does anyone have any recommendations on courses?

5.) How hard is it to transfer licenses between states/ maintain licenses in multiple states and what would this entail?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Brady