All Forum Posts by: Jeffrey Lester

Hello, fellow BiggerPocketers!

Many of my posts have been about college, and for a very good reason: I want to get started with my real estate career now. 

My overall plan is to work a job my freshman year that will connect me with the local investors and agents and force me to learn the market. I aspire to purchase a property by my sophomore year through creative financing that I will live in and share with tenants (probably college buddies). 

For now, though, I need to find a job that I can work that can give me some solid experience within the real estate universe. So, what job can an incoming college freshman like myself that will give me experience in the world of real estate? I'm open to any and all suggestions! 

As always, thank you for all your tips and advice!

Hello, all! 

I'll be in college for the next four years in Missoula, Montana. I have been reading, being active on BiggerPockets, and talking to others in my hometown, but I figured that it will soon be time to get some real experience (no pun intended). 

I am looking to start with multi family homes and eventually graduate to commercial real estate (specifically apartment complexes and hotels). 

Does anyone have connections with investors, property managers, or really anyone in the Missoula area that I could be referred to? Or, even better, do you know anyone on BP that is from that area? 

Everything is much appreciated. Thank you so much! 

@Matthew Freund Hey Matt, I think you're absolutely correct on this one. I don't think you're being harsh at all, you're simply speaking the truth! 

I had my college orientation today (it has been a very, very long day), and I think I'm going to declare my majors as Management Information Systems and Accounting. Both of those will give me adequate opportunities to network with professionals in the field, an understanding of numbers, an understanding the basics of computers, and an understanding of business management. That will all be extremely useful in my REI future and it will also make my a very marketable employee, giving me an excellent fallback option.

I appreciate your input :-) 

@Nick Leamon Hey, Nick! That's funny - my brother started as a business administration major, and then he switched to economics because he loved it. He's just finishing up his doctorate program for it this year. It's crazy how much of a turn things can take! 

At this point in time, I really don't know what my passion is - I just know that I don't want to deal with complex mathematics :-) a year from now, I may be majoring in Anthropology (I sure hope not, though). We shall see where life takes me. I'll make sure not to get a major just because I think it will help with REI or make more money. I will definitely follow my heart, if you know what I mean!

All great suggestions, guys. I think when I get down to Missoula for school, I'll try to hook up with a real estate club (if there is one) and try to get to know some of the local investors and agents. Then, hopefully I can get set up with someone who would be willing to mentor me. 

If buying a house does not fall through for me while I'm in college, is it possible to rent out spare apartment rooms to other people? I'm assuming I would need permission from the owner/property manager to do this.  

@Edith TenBroek That's exactly what I had thought about! I'm required to live on campus freshman year, but by the start of my sophomore year, I want to have gone through with my first deal! I'm planning on owner financing, subject-to, or a lease option since I won't be able to lock down any sort of bank loan. 

@Ahmad H. Yes, student loans are really crappy. Any loan is crappy! Except in real estate - those loans are generally good. :D 

@Jordan Thibodeau I'll make sure to check out that book! I'll add it to the summer reading list. Your advice is invaluable, and I 100% agree. Honestly, I still don't completely know what I'm passionate about. I will have to take my freshman year and use it to discover whatever my passion may be. 

Thanks again, Jordan. Awesome advice. :-) 

@Josh C. I actually don't know what STEM is! I've heard of it, so I'll do some research on it now. 

Thanks for the input! 

@Karl Dowden That's a very good recommendation, Karl. I am quite certain that REI will take a turn towards technology in the future via computer programs that will do much of the work for the investor. If that is the case, understanding computers would be excellent! Also, being able to build my own website/app for my REI company would be awesome as well. Finally, it would be an excellent fallback degree. If I happen to fail in the beginning, computer degrees will open numerous job opportunities for me that pay quite well. It could also provide me with decent funding to further my investments!

Hello, everyone! 

I'm heading off to college in late August, and I was curious as to which degrees could influence the success of my real estate investing journey. 

My top picks are accounting, business management, and marketing. I am also strongly considering information systems/computer science. 

What do you guys think? 

As always, thanks so much for your time and suggestions!