Dropping out of college - what would you do?

[Shray Patel]

Hey everyone,

I am 20-years old at Temple University with 3 semesters left before I graduate. I recently decided to switch from studying/working in the IT industry to Real Estate. I have worked in a property management company for 1.5 years and am currently partnering in a 6-unit construction project with my father and a developer we know. I am trying to decide if it is worth to switch to a Real Estate major and finishing my semesters to get my Real Estate degree VS. working under a successful developer full-time and dropping out of school. I am leaning more towards dropping out and working full-time under our developer who will teach me ins-and-outs of RE development, investment, and management. I feel like I would learn the most and be best prepared learning under his mentorship than wasting 1.5 years studying RE theory in school. Our developer agreed to help with any costs related to my learning (i.e. any textbooks, online courses, etc) and hire me full-time. I will get my Real Estate license while working under him. 

Do I need a formal business degree in Real Estate to get a job in the industry or is it just my experience and expertise that counts? What would you guys do having worked already and been successful in this industry?

Thanks for all your help in advanced!

Shray

[Nicole A.]

I personally vote for finishing your IT degree. You can build up your real estate business on your own without a degree. IT would be a great field to get into with a degree because they tend to pay well and this can help you get on your feet and fund your future REIs. If you have trouble with RE, you will have IT to fall back on. I say don't put all your eggs in one basket. You can even just do IT on the side for extra money (even via online gigs) if you end up not needing it full time later down the road.