College Student Wasting Time

[Jacob Wathen]

Hello BiggerPockets family! I am a college student in Eugene, OR and I feel as though I have wasted my past three years working in the restaurant industry. I keep telling myself that it is only my job during college and I will find something related to real estate once I graduate but I feel as though I am wasting precious time. Is there any lower level way of getting involved in real estate investing or even working for a real estate office that would be more beneficial? 

[Joe Kim]

Jacob,

I would recommend THREE things

#1 Get educated - books, podcast, attend REIA meetings. Find a mentor along the way.

#2  Find a mentor who is already doing what you envision yourself doing and work your tail off for that person - whatever it takes to help his/her real estate business

#3 Start saving.  Live below your means.  Even if you buy one good buy/hold property, it will do wonders for you 5,10,20 years from now.   You can try house hacking method that Brandon Turner likes to talk about all the time.  (buy duplex - live on one side, rent out the other.   Do a live in flip.)

To be successful in real estate you need these Ingredients - knowledge, networking, money, determination/persistence and if you don't have any of these things then you need a lot of SWEAT equity to get those three things.

Some of us who are older have some money, networking (just by nature of being older and having met a lot of people along the way).   

But I would exchange places with you!   Why?    youth and time is so huge.  You already have a huge leg up on the rest of the world (determination to make it in real estate at such a young age)- just don't give up!  

Oh, last thing.  don't quit your day job.   You need money to save up to buy your first property....let alone need it to buy food, shelter, books.  Do all those things on TOP of your current job.   

Good hunting.