Worth getting Real Estate License for personal investments?

Has anyone got their Real Estate License primarily to benefit your own investments? To save on the commission, to gain more contacts etc? Here in CA 6% is a big chunk of money, we fixed up our first investment property and decided to rent it out. To sell it would have cost $42,000 in Realtor fees! (renting it out is going great so that worked out for us). 

Also, to gain better access to the real estate world, contacts, listings, knowledge etc?? I would also aim to work as a Realtor at least to make those connections....