All Forum Posts by: Wilfredo O.

 Hey Will. I’ve been in your shoes. Quite literally. Former Intel guy here. Turns out I hated working for agencies and decided I wanted to do something different. I chose construction to get me closer to RE investing. What a journey. My income started at 52k and is now hovering around 185-200k per year. I’ve hopped companies a few times. I’m an estimator. I actually work for a company that’s local to your market and would be a great place for you to gain skills that will help you get to a position where you can better prepare yourself to run a portfolio. Shoot me a message if you’re interested. It’s not RE, it’s utility investing but it’s essentially the same thing. You get to see how a massive company operates to acquire, develop, etc. only thing you’ll be limited by is your ability to network in the company. I’ve learned more in a year than I have 3 years of self study. 

Second point. Having a w-2 is essential. I’m finally getting my license, but if you start doing that now (be it MLO, RE agent, etc) and do it as a side hustle, you’ll make money on the side to throw into deals and you’ll learn more about RE quicker. You’ll truly know when the time is right to jump from your w-2. But don’t tie your shoe laces before you start running. 

Feel free to reach out and connect, I’d be happy to put in a word at my company for you. They hire vets all the time. 

Hello Wilfredo, for you post it sounds like your end goal is not to have a full time job in real estate but to have a small portfolio of properties that generate enough cash flow for you to live off of. Is that correct? If so I would recommend going and getting an accounting job and funneling that money into real estate either actively or passively through partnerships. Then, once you have sufficient cash flow coming in you can decide what it is you really want to do and pursue that passion. If you are really certain that real estate is your passion than I would offer different advice. 

Nathan has some good recommendations, any of those will give you a great understanding of an aspect of real estate investing. You don't necessarily have to work in real estate to invest in real estate though. If you feel you are best suited for accounting and want to stay in that career, you can certainly invest on the side. If you do feel like you have a skillset that will work in a real estate career though, I think you will have an easier time with investing as you'll learn about the process of the deals for when you want to do some for yourself and you'll probably have contacts in the industry to work with. 

Very hard to start investing while unemployed. You do have some fantastic avenues for you to get started however! One of the biggest investors I know is a CPA that specializes in Realtor and investor Taxes. This would be a great way to not have to pivot into a completely new career. After you establish a good w2, or somehow get approved for lending, the world is your oyster. Especially with access to VA loan, Focus in on househacking for a year or two and that will build your base while keeping your monthly costs down or hopefully negative! A good Quadplex would be a great springboard into investing for example. Good luck, keep us updated!

If you are looking for a career in Real Estate and want to be around the real estate industry for your career. The best recommendations that I would have for you are become a Real estate agent, lender or a property manager.