What's a person fresh out of High School to do?

[Account Closed]

In a few short months I'll have reached the summit of my 12 year long endeavor to graduate high school and receive my diploma. For many people it's hard to know exactly what they want to do with their life, but luckily I have always known my journey would bring me somewhere down the path of real estate. Architecture and design have been two of my greatest passions for as long as I can remember, and I can't picture myself presently doing anything outside of real estate.

I see great opportunities in real estate for young people with the ambition and inner drive to succeed. I actively research real estate across the country, tracking market trends and building myself a sort of roadmap to the future. I will not be attending college after school. I see college as more of a burden to my personal goals, at least at this point in my life. I see the value in a college education, and eventually do plan on getting one, but the financial burden and time spent on a degree seem like a waste to me right now.

My problem lies in that I'm not quite sure how to make the first move. My goal is to move to Colorado in a year’s time and acquire a job in real estate somewhere around the Roaring Fork Valley. Is this reasonable? Will I be taken seriously without a degree and where I'm so young to begin with? Age is just a number, but with age comes experience. I really want to get my foot in the door sooner than later so I can start building my knowledge of the area and establishing connections with other people. Is it likely I could find a mentor out in Colorado to take me on as their project child?

After having known what it is I want to do with my life for so long, I’m now finding myself a little lost as to how to set my plan in action. Frankly, I’m a little scared. Any advice?

[Ian M.]

@Tim Richard, I may be alone on this one, which is ironic, given that i went most of the distance on this one and have a Master's degree, but if you know you want to be in real estate/real estate investing, i would suggest you find a job that will give you the skill set to be successful in that field as soon as possible. That may mean 5 years or 5 months, that is up to you and your drive, but honestly given that you look at real estate trends across the country at 18, I would say you have the ability in you to be successful quickly. In fact, you make me look like a loser - at 18 I cared about sports and women and a little school on the side. I am not necessarily against school - i wouldn't have the job i have without it and i like my job, so i am glad i have the piece of paper, but if you know you would like to do something that doesn't require it, I have changed my views that everyone should go. Believe me - if i ever lose my JOB, i will definelty not be looking for another one as I don't love working for someone else and I like the idea of being an entrepreneur. Several decades ago, they offered shop classes where students could at least be introduced to the trades (plumbing, electrical, etc...), then apprentice under someone to really become an expert at it. Similarly if you can find a job (for now) to learn the skillset necessary to become "expert" at it (or have enough knowledge to feel comfortable starting in it), that will set you down the path to success. I also think it will take care of some of the discipline skills that @Bryan L. mentions. I don't think though you need to get just any job in order to prove that, but one that will give you the background to be successful in this business and also develop the work ethic and discipline that Bryan alludes to. I also very strongly agree with @Karen Margrave about taking some classes at a community college in business, investing, accounting etc.. Its very affordable and could MAKE you infinitely more money than it costs. The irony for me is that i went through business school for my undergrad, paid thousands of dollars for that paper and guess where i learned about the best investment out there (real estate investment) - the $400 community college course i decided to take on a whim. I look forward to when my business school asks me for money again and i will ask them if they incorporated any of that "dirty, boring, not really investing" real estate investing into the curriculum yet. Seriously take some courses here, even if its not necessarily for a degree.

Bottom line, I think we do need more entrepreneurs in this country and just going to college "because you should" is no longer the right way to think of it. If you know you want a job that requires it, there's your answer, but you seem to want something else. I have a friend that starting a lawn mowing business in high school, kept it through college and then sold it to his friend and moved the money to purchase another business - a serial entrepreneur. I'm jealous cause i got a late start. But if you have that in you, gain the knowledge you need perhaps with a combination of apprenticeship (perhaps working in a rental management company, possibly as a realtor with another realtor as your guide - choose who you take advice from wisely though) and some slightly more formal education at a community college. Your age may matter to some at least initially, but if you master your field, that will matter much less to people that want to make money/build things with you as you move along - just ask Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Zuckerberg and countless others who started succesful businesses WITHOUT a college degree. As for Colorado, unless you have a very good reason to go there, i would try where you are first or in a better market. Based on the posts so far from those already in Colorado, it doesn't seem to be a sound move at this point. That's my input for whats it worth, but you sound like you are already heading down the right path. now you have to take everyone's advice here and decide and apply what works best for you - the first step in any successful entrepreneur's life. frankly your biggest asset right now is your age - you can work 20 hours a day, screw up and have plenty of time to recover, not have a family to feed, can live on very little money among others. whatever you do its more about perseverance than intellect, education or anything else - its really about how bad you want that success.