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Updated over 5 years ago, 07/10/2019
College degree for real estate agents ??
I am 16 years old and want get my real estate license at 18. Real estate is my passion and I dedicate time everyday to learning about it. I’m not sure if I want to go to college because I think those years could be better learning directly in the business rather than a class. That saying I am willing to put in the work to make it work and far from lazy. Questions- Do you think a broker would hire an 18 year old without a degree? Do you have a real estate/business degree? Do you think you could have been where you are without the degree?
@Robert Hodgson I love that advice thanks so much! How has the BRRRR method been for you ?
It's working great.
To answer your question... you don't need to go to college.
@Robert Hodgson thanks for your additional insight !
@Jordan Lucas
Yeah I did it at 18. You can do it no problem if you have a willingness to learn!
@Nathan Boyer thanks for sharing and I do have that!
I don't think you need a degree, perhaps a business diploma would equip you with the tools necessary. Real Estate is an easy industry to get into, with a minimum level of time and effort to get in the front door.
@John Krasner thanks so much for you insight? How’d you get into RE?
@Nathan G. Good call. Half of my friends with degrees are just working average Joe jobs because they hate their field or can't find work.
I hate how I learned nothing useful in school besides basic math yet had to spend over a decade there.
Why on earth would I want to become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc when I can own the buildings they work in and the houses they live in?
@Jordan Lucas I beat out 12 temp people for a permanent sales job. All I did was do what they said to do and hussled. Never sold before. Once they started talking about the numbers I started working 16 hours a day. They would help make you two leads a day and the rest was yours. The fact that you are here and interested in real estate puts you far ahead of your peers.
@Andrew Cornstubble thanks so much for sharing that and your insight !
Jordan,
Good for you! It's nice to see someone so eager at your age.
I don't know of a state that requires a college degree in order to get a real estate license, but I can say this (all based on personal experience) if you have a college degree you'll be better off. The degree is actually in business administration with a concentration on real estate. Fewer than 1500 people across the nation get this degree each year, and there are positions out there that require it, but being a real estate agent isn't one of them.
I've been licensed for over 20 years, and am now back in college at the same time I am working real estate. I'm actually working towards my Masters degree in business administration with a concentration on real estate from the University of California at San Bernardino. The best college in the nation to attend is San Diego University, but they're a little far away from me, and are expensive. $$.
To cut the cost of the degree, I recommend starting at at Junior College. One that has agreements with a local university to accept their students credits. I did this, and went to college for 2 years and it cost me NOTHING!! I got grants which paid for it all! Even if grants didn't pay for it all, it's cheaper for those two years.
NEVER let anyone stop you from getting a college education. Even if you don't use the degree you majored in, it's very helpful in finding employment should you need to in a down market like what we saw from 2008 to 2013.
In order to get your real estate license, you can order classes online. I wouldn't sign up for them until you're about 17 1/2. Most states won't let you get the license until you are 18 as you need the capacity to contract. In California 3 classes are needed to get your license. Since you are young and in school, you'll probably do better than most people who have been out of school for some time. You're used to studying.
In addition to all of this, learn where ever you can. If a local meetup group has a guest speaker - go. IF someone is wiling to mentor you, let them. Listen to the podcasts and webinars here. Every bit of education is gold!
Wishing you nothing but the best!
Don Alder-LaRue
Real Estate Agent in California, CalDRE#01244398
Commercial, mba, CCIM
Appraiser, college degree-mandatory
Realtor, no requirements. In our area most have a mba, ms, 20% Ivy League adv degree. Very few do not have college degree.
Broker, 15% has JD, esq, ex-prosecuter. We got a MD, a few Phd.
That being said a few top agents never went to college. GED while serving terms.
@Jordan Lucas I would definitely consider getting a business degree or something like that. Some colleges offer degrees in real estate too. My only reasoning for this is that you are 16 and no matter how sold you are on something now, you’ll grow and change and you may decide you want to do something else and do real estate investing more passively. No matter what anyone says about the value of a college degree, it does give you a little something to fall back on (networks especially).
I definitely am thankful I went to college instead of jumping right into the workforce. I am doing a pretty similar job to what I would have been doing, but I’m getting paid a hell of a lot more to do it, and now that I’m older and realizing I don’t want to do it much longer, I have an education, an alumni network and a lot longer of a financial runway to make the leap.
You can still do some REI on the side to help grow your portfolio, develop credibility, and maybe help pay for school!
couple things
You need to learn stuff about the career you want....if you need the structure of school to force yourself to do the work then go
If you like learning on your own and your disciplined in your approach its not necessary.
Either way you need to learn the material....you pick your poison
Think of a degree as a ticket to a destination( usually a specific job)....dont buy the ticket if you dont want the destination