@Michael Warinner Your journey has just begun.
Kudos for your courage on making a difficult choice in changing times. I speak to dozens of people in the real estate business every day. I also meet up with newbies and youngsters that have a million questions and many doubts about continuing a path into a system that has been crumbling since the eighties. I suggest reading Jeremy Rifkin's book "The Age of Access: The New Culture of Hypercapitalism" and "The End of Work". Real Estate, like any business, is a journey of learning, exploring and doing.
One of the many important thoughts to understand in order to succeed is: Don't walk your crazy, awesome adventure alone. Most peeps here will probably agree that it's much faster, easier and more fun if you can find people to 'play' with.
You're in the best forum on planet earth when it comes to real estate. Connect with people here, network in the real world, attend meet-ups or start your own event using the BP Events Tool if you're a pro member and add Eventbrite and Facebook Events to fish in various ponds and extend your reach. This will be necessary if you're in an area where nobody seems to be active.
Trust me, they are 'hiding' in the wood-works somewhere hoping that someone like you will take the initiative. Make sure you connect with local professionals (CPAs, GCs, PMs, attorneys, etc.) that can add educational or informational value to your meetings to attract a crowd so you don't have to do all the heavy lifting alone - plus, you'll learn new stuff ever time.
Read blogs and books, free and paid. There are a few to start with right here on this channel.
Listen to podcasts, there are too many to count. Find your niche of interest. One of my mentors, Robert Kiyosaki, will support you on your quest on leaving school and not looking to stay in a job. Set a regimen of (his and others) empowering podcasts to keep your spirits up and keep you going. Be clear about your decision. Nobody can make it for you. Regret is a terrible companion.
Network like mad. Go to your local REIA if you have one, have lunch or coffee with one person EVERY DAY. Connect with a regimen of people on Facebook and LinkedIn groups every day. Who would have thought, despite 1M+ BP members, many still haven't heard nor care to join this forum? Pick them up where they gather.
Start taking a few real estate courses and look for business and real estate mentors to guide you along the way since you are guaranteed to get stuck time and again. And at some point, you will run out of finding answers to your questions that even this forum cannot answer because at some point the saying, "You get what you pay for" and "time is money" kicks in and no one has the patience or time to guide you to the finish line. The higher or closer you get toward reaching your goals, the tougher it gets. You're on the right track. However, it gets harder to find people with the knowledge and experience you need who are willing to spend "one on one" time with you.
There are many encouraging and discouraging opinions alike and I just grew a bit tired of the general notion that anyone can do it. As if business and real estate are as easy as reading a few books, listening to a few podcasts and going to a couple of boot camps. Been there. Done that. Didn't work. That was ten years ago.
Not everyone can. Many give up, make excuses, procrastinate, lose focus (Read: The One Thing, by Gary Keller), in fact, most fall short or fail. Thus my emphasis on surrounding yourself with an A-Class mentor and team in the months to come.
Don't start if you don't think you can't stick to it for years to come, fall and get up again, and if your reason "WHY" isn't super solid to prevent you from giving up. Read a few blogs or podcasts about startups and what they go through. Kate's Take from "Entrepreneurs on Fire" (EOF) is a good start. I recommend her to anyone on this channel. That will give you an idea about what you're headed towards.
It's a journey. A marathon. Not a sprint.
It will be tough. It will be frustrating. You'll want to quit several times. Your friends, family and peers might want to talk you out of it. They do so because they don't know better. They are usually not surrounded by successful entrepreneurs and just want to protect you from falling down from your clouds and dreams. Because it hurts. A lot. That's why most never try. It's too painful.
Be mindful whom you ask advice from. It will take time. Years. However, I will repeat that I commend you to your clarity and desire to make it happen. Just know to go in that this is not a quick YouTube video dude success thing. They never last long by the way because many have the wrong attitude. They might have made big money for a period of time, most often not passive or residual like real estate, however, they don't know how to keep it and fade into oblivion.
That's not what any of us are here for. Real estate is a get rich slow game. It's not sexy. After a while, it's boring in fact. But what doesn't, right?
So, in closing, never stop learning and doing and moving forward every day!
"Do today what others won't, to live tomorrow like others can't."
Cheers, go get 'em'!
