How Valuable is Tax Accounting to Real Estate?

[Taylor Lopez]

Hi everyone,

I'm graduating with my Bachelor's degree in Accounting in May 2015. I have applied to both the Master's in Accounting program as well as the Masters in Tax program at my university, and I cannot decide which one would serve as more of an asset in my ultimate goal of entering the real estate industry.

I have done extensive research and have yet to find answers pertaining to my particular situation. I've even asked professors, to which most just told me to choose the one I was more interested in. I'm leaning more towards tax at this point because I think it would serve as more of an asset not only to my own future investment/business strategies, but to other investors' strategies as well.

As of right now, I don't want to be an accountant for the rest of my career; however, I know by gaining experience in a firm that works with the real estate industry I'd be able to absorb knowledge about different types of real estate, investment strategies, and their tax implications.

I fell in love with real estate investing because of the challenges, risks, rewards, and opportunities it can create. I want to be able to provide a plethora of opportunities for the younger generations in my community, because currently there really is not a large enough outreach from this particular field where I live.

In terms of actual job experience, I am a rookie to both accounting and real estate. As a full-time student, I study real estate investment strategies, read blogs/forums, and keep track of the market when I'm not doing work pertaining to my degree. I've applied to many part-time accounting-related positions for experience as I transition to graduate school in the Fall, but cannot get hired because I don't have experience.

With all of this being said, I have no clue to whether the path I am choosing (tax) is going to give me the best opportunity for real estate or if I'm wasting my time/resources on skills I might not use as much when I actually reach my goal to be an investor. All advice is welcome!

Thanks,

Taylor