Mortgage broker vs a loan officer?

[Chris DeSisto]

Hello,

I don't quite understand the differences between the two. Does a  loan officer work for say Wells Fargo and a broker worker for a mortgage company? Are they the same thing? Do they have different licences?  Does it depend on the state? Is one better then another? I am asking because I am interested in changing careers, I want to learn more about loans and the industry in general. Ultimately I want to invest in multi-family homes, and I feel this line of work would get my involved pretty heavily. 

Also, are loan officers and brokers going to be obsolete anytime soon with online mortgages? Is it a dying industry?

-Chris