Junior in college. How soon can I get started?

[Seth Hersom]

I am a junior in college at the University of Northern Iowa. Currently I am a Accounting & Finance major and on track to take the CPA exam the spring of 2018. My first question is: Is the CPA route the route I should go? Or should I add a Real Estate major and track more towards the real estate business to learn more. I am not sold on being a public accountant, and I don't plan on staying there for very long if I do go that way. I have always had my eyes set on Real Estate, and I get excited when reading and thinking about getting in the business (and not just because of the money).

In the next 5 years, I would like to own at least a few rental properties alongside working a full time job. My end game would be to quit my full time job and be a landlord full time. I have been reading all kinds of blogs, books, and listening to podcasts, but I still don't know how to get involved at my age, or how to start saving money.

Where should I go from here?

[Nick Harrington]

Get a job and start saving money. Real estate requires money regardless of what you have heard or read. Start building your credit too, get a credit card if you don't have one yet and make sure you pay your payments on time.

Regarding whether to become a CPA or take another different path, that's something you have to ask yourself as it is your future so you should be making those decisions for yourself.

If you want to work in the real estate industry then majoring in it would help you stand out from the rest of the applicants. If you simply want to learn more for personal knowledge, then I would just take some classes as an elective and get your feet wet by doing actual deals. You will learn a lot more by losing $10k on a deal than paying $10k for classes in real estate at your university (assuming you already have foundational knowledge).