Need Career/Investing Advice

[Joey Bresette]

Sorry in advance for any weird formatting, this is my first post. Tried to get all my thoughts down but really would just appreciate anyone who's willing to give advice based on my situation.

I'm a Junior at Santa Clara University who has been interested in real estate investing for the past three years. I have my salesperson license in Massachusetts and California. My goal is to build up a portfolio of residential or small multi-family properties that can eventually become my main focus / "job".

Up until this point I've also headed down the corporate finance path for a variety of reasons. I interned at a fintech company after my Freshman year, a private equity firm this past summer, and next summer I'm supposed to do an internship in investment banking. 

I feel like this path has taken me further and further from my ultimate goal, though. I had been telling myself that I could always do real estate on the side but after seeing first-hand what life is like for younger analysts and associates in such time-intensive careers, that doesn't seem like much of an option.

So, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to pivot to and wanted to see what everyone's advice on this forum was. Here's a short list of what I've been thinking of with the goal of creating a mutually beneficial career path for my ultimate real estate investing journey:
 

 - Corporate Finance Real Estate Role (Working at a bigger brokerage such as CBRE, JLL, etc.), investing in Real Estate as I go and will likely have more time to do so than in the path I've been on

 - Commercial Real Estate Agent (at a larger brokerage, ideally in the multifamily space) investing in Real Estate as I go, with the same amount of time to do so as above, but with the added benefit of actually working in the market I want to eventually invest in

- Working for a small-scale developer or construction company (ideally in the market that I'd want to invest in) I could be investing in real estate as I go and would be gaining experience

- Residential Real Estate Agent (at a regional brokerage in a market I'd want to invest in) investing in Real Estate as I go, with more flexibility and time to do so than above, and with the extra benefit of working in the market I want to start out investing in

- Find someone who is investing in a similar way I want to eventually invest and work for them. This would allow me to learn what I need to and then eventually go out on my own

I've also been interested in architecture since I became interested in real estate. This would be a major pivot considering I'd probably have to go to some sort of graduate program, but I guess I'm considering this as well.

In the meantime, I've been trying to get involved in the student-housing market at SCU and the residential markets surrounding the campus. Planning on cold-calling as much as I can with the hopes of finding prospective sellers I can refer to a connection of mine for a referral fee. Ideally, this will develop insight into those markets and lead to something natural.

Anyways, I'd appreciate any general advice just based on the post. Additionally, if anyone knows any investors in the Bay Area I could reach out to, or small to medium sized developers/construction companies, definitely let me know.