Establishing REI Business in Three Months

[Hunter H.]

Hello Bigger Pockets Community!

I’m currently a junior in college set to graduate in September of 2019. The school I attend operates on an internship schedule, in which I rotate between school and work every three months. This has allowed me to build experience in my industry and almost certainly lead to employment post-graduation. If all goes according to plan, I will have two options upon graduation. Option 1 is a full-time position with a nice starting salary. The money is attractive but I’m almost scared to join the rat race and start a 40 year career. Option 2 is getting accepted to the graduate school program my employer sponsors, this is my current goal. I will be paid a full-time salary (although lower than a direct-hire position), rotate between departments within my company, and go to school full-time to complete my Master’s degree. This program has a firm start date of January, leaving a three month gap in-between graduation and employment. I can either work those three months at my internship salary or take the time off.

This is where my question comes in. If you had three months to kick start your REI business, how would you do it? What is the best way to experience the industry over a three-month time span? I'm primarily interested in buy and hold investing, although am open to other options. In regards to cash on hand, I plan to have 15-20k saved upon graduation (although fairly significant student loan debt). I'm afraid that if I don't create some kind of business plan before joining the rat race, it will never happen.

Any and all advice is appreciated!