Young California Agent/Investor Looking for Advice/Collaboration!

[Tyler Ettner]

Hey Everyone! So thankful to be a part of this amazing community - I have learned so much from Bigger Pockets and will forever be grateful for the wealth of information I've gained from interacting with everyone here :)
However, I am posting here to see if anyone has any thoughts/advice/wants to collaborate - anything would be greatly appreciated!
I am currently completing my real estate licencing coursework and have saved up about 20k from doing vacation rentals in my college town (Santa Barbara, CA). I now have the opportunity to live in South Lake Tahoe in my grandparents home for free (incredibly fortunate to have the place to myself as it is a second home) and am wondering if I should seek out a brokerage here to perform as an agent as I build my wealth to eventually invest. However, most of the homes here could be considered 'luxury' and it seems like a fairly low volume market. I am developing my skills with 3D photography/tours as well as graphic design and digital marketing.
Any ideas on whether I should live for free in Lake Tahoe and work as a real estate agent in a competitive/low volume market or move back down to my college town of Santa Barbara and pay rent while building a real estate career there?
My end goal has always been to find and invest in cash flowing properties using househacking/BRRRR strategies and I am wondering if anyone has any advice for a young professional crafting a path forward in real estate.
Any advice would be incredibly helpful and I would love to connect/collaborate if anyone is interested in vacation rentals!!