The first few years as a broker is not unlike those first few early years of educational development. They occur under the watchful eye of a mentor. The classroom is an office. One’s peers quickly educate the broker in the customs and mores of business much like the young masters of the playground.

And, yet, as we look at the men and women of this year’s Young Professionals list, we feel at ease. The best that the business has to offer remains as bright, as enthusiastic, as energetic and as savvy as those who went before. Even when the real estate world shut down and they were enclosed in their own personal cells like modern-day inmates at Shawshank, these professionals were quietly, methodically chipping away at their tunnels. Freedom is so close we can all feel it.—Max Gross