Agent in training & aspiring investor from Los Angeles

[Robert M Lewis]

Hello everyone!

My name is Robert, and I'm currently opening up a new chapter in my life with hopes of bringing myself more financial independence and freedom, but more importantly; HAPPINESS with a career change that I can reap the rewards of hard work that I can put my heart and soul into. A career that I can finally be proud of, have bragging rights, and where i can wake up every morning motivated and committed.      

All of my adult working life I've been stuck and complacent in the customer service/retail/sales industry (not the rewarding kind of sales).  And it was a basic means to an end throughout my 20s (I'm 32) while getting myself through too many years of community college and earning a bachelor's degree that I had too much uncertainty not knowing where it would lead. And unfortunately in the midst of my aimless pursuit of a post-college career, i was battling toxic relationships, substance abuse, and other legal battles I brought upon myself.  The last decade were difficult to say the least, but I've always reminded myself that there's always an upside to a downside, and after almost hitting rock bottom I knew the only way was up.  And with diligence, effort and commitment to my own well-being through mind body and soul, the universe would unfold in a way where I can look back and be proud of what I've overcome and accomplished. 

My problem was that I've always had the urge and NEED to go against the grain of what it is to be successful post-high school. I never wanted to get married or have kids (and I still don't) and the thought of having to wake up for a 9 to 5 job working for a boss puppeteering your abilities and cultivating your do's and don'ts makes me sick to the stomach. I've always wanted to be my own boss, work on my own terms, and take all of the risk. 

So fast forward to the past year, I finally found a decent job working field sales for a popular energy and solar panel company which i am proud to be a part of, but at the end of the day it's still a job title where I have supervision, have little to no freedom, and little reward. So it's still not even close to what i want. 

That's when a very bright light bulb went off in my head after coming across a YouTube video on real estate investing.  So I asked myself "should i get into real estate?? Is that really a profession I could excel with? I hate math so maybe it's not for me. Hmmm." So i sat on the idea for about 6 months doing preliminary research, and then it finally hit me like a quarterback getting sacked at 1st and GOAL: "I'M GOING TO REAL ESTATE SCHOOL, AND I'M GONNA BE A G*D DAMN AGENT."  As of this writing (02/05/17) I start real estate training for my agent's license TOMORROW which lasts until April then hopefully get my license by May. 

The bottom line is: I signed up with BiggerPockets for networking and mentorship while I pursue my real estate license and future buy-and-hold investing with single family homes. Please feel free to message me, give any advice, and reach out for any reason at all. 

Thank you so much for your time hearing me out! Have a great day!