I've heard that you have to work under somebody...how does that work?

If you are going to sell real estate, you must work for a Broker. There are other jobs you can do on your own, but if you want the "real money", you should register with a broker and sell. Or, you can get the Broker's license (you must get the Sales license first), and then you can sell on your own, starting your own real estate company. However, having a Realtor's license does NOT mean that you can sell real estate - it just means that you have the license for it. Selling is a different skill.

In North Carolina you can list and sell houses, and do almost anything any other Realtor can. You can even get your Broker's license here within that two years, but you still have to work under the supervision of a Broker with at least 2 years' experience. The only "limit" that I have found is that you cannot open your own office, or go to work for yourself until 2 years have passed, and you have your full Broker's license [meaning you also can't work out of your home or claim "home office" deductions on your taxes within that time period].