Is it necessary to pay for an online course to get RE license?

[James Greenwood]

I have a goal of getting my real estate license this winter while things are slow in my primary business. 

I've just started looking at online courses that you can pay for: Kaplan, Duane Gomer, First Tuesday, Real estate Express, Allied etc. 

My question is whether going through one of these courses is how everyone does it or is there another way. If using a course is typical which is the best for someone who doesn't have a lot of extra study time?

Realtors, please share your detailed story about the path that you took to get your license. 

Thanks

[Nathan Gesner]

@James Greenwood I am a self-learner. I have to be hopped up on caffeine to stay away in a classroom, seriously. I can learn twice as fast by studying a subject on my own and I tend to retain it better.

However, I agree with Keith that there's a lot of benefit to the actual classroom. In real estate, the lessons are essentially about the law and language with nothing about how to apply anything in the real world. If you have a good instructor, they'll give you practical information that can't be found in the books. 

And the networking is definitely important.