College Degree.... Is it helpful? (want your opinion)

[Joe Demonte]

Hey BP Nation! 

I wanted to get your 2 cents on whether or not you felt it is beneficial to have received a college degree (preferably financing) in your investing career? 

I believe college degrees are great for people trying to get a good JOB working for someone else, but that isn't my plan. My plan is to grow a business, my own business. My goals are to net in the single digit millions. At some point I see myself having to get outside investor funding and was curious if investors see a "Finance Degree" as an added layer of security. 
Also, if the Finance Degree might actually help in my business operations. 

A great track record (school of hard knocks as someone once told me) is probably the most important factor for any funding investor. 

Anywho, your opinion is really valued so please chime in! 
:D

[Jonathan Twombly]

@Joe Demonte Joe, I have degrees up the wazoo, and I don't think that they really have helped me at all in the real estate investing business -- EXCEPT in one critical area.  When a potential investor looks at your resume, having a degree may make a difference to their impression of you, especially early on.  This also depends on who you're dealing with.  Someone with a college degree is far more likely to trust you if you have one, too, and when it comes to investors, let's face it, more likely than not, people with the funds to invest with you are going to be college educated, the way this world works.  However, the longer you are in the business, and the more of a track record you have, the less and less your education will even be an issue.  In other words, when you lack a track record, your education will be a partial stand-in.

However, if you read through these forums, you will find a lot of people got their start investing while in college, so pursuing a degree should not necessarily delay your real estate career.  And, if you decide that you want to go the institutional investment route when you finish your degree, having done your own deals will certainly not hurt . . .