Wish me luck...

[floydpink]

I flunked Spanish in HS which probably was in part to my lack of desire to learn.

I am able to now hold a fairly decent conversation in Spanish which arose from necessity.

Working in sales in Florida and not speaking some Spanish is career suicide.

I learned the majority of my Spanish from travelling to South and Central America numerous times and found that a few words gradually progresses into a broken conversation and have found across the board, people appreciate you at least trying instead of assuming everyone should speak English.

I never used a cd but have heard of some who have done well with them.

If I was advising you, I'd suggest finding a Spanish speaking friend and dedicating some time to practicing, or another option would be to take a week vacation, head down to Costa Rica, head to the bar and realize that asking a girl if she would like a cervesa could lead to a very fun and educational cross cultural experience.