Originally posted by @Chinmay J.:
Originally posted by @Karen Margrave:
I have never talked to anyone that was harmed by having a college degree. On the other hand, there are many classes that support real estate investing. Finance, Marketing, Psychology, Construction Project Management, Accounting, Business Law, Real estate Principles to name a few. Having a degree can be a huge benefit if the market crashes and you need a Plan B. You have a lot of years ahead of you, give yourself the maximum number of options to pursure, and don't limit yourself.
Thousands of dollars it costs to go to college is a huge negative factor in education. Usually these comes in form of student loans. I have friends who make car payment of $300 and student loan payment of $600. Go figure. Now if you have degree in Engineering or Accounting that can get you a $50K-60K job that's one thing, but what does degree in Psychology and Marketing get you... Nada.. I have a friend who was a marketing major and now she is an HR. LOL..
What do college teach? Nothing as far as critical thinking goes.. Does college teach you, how to handle difficult people? Nope. Does college teach you good manners? Do they teach you politeness? Half of these academic professors have never had a real job in their life.. Most of the college is memorizing crap and vomiting it on the tests.
And lastly.. Do you really think that a person can have a career these days by going to college and getting a degree as a PLAN B. That's perhaps the most dangerous advice I have seen anyone give... You can't expect to have well paying job, by treating it as a PLAN B. A gap of couple of months on the resume is a huge negative these days.. That's why its hard for unemployed people to get a job.
If you want to really succeed in your corporate career, you better be 100% motivated. Half a$$ed attempt ain't gonna get you anywhere..
I have bachelors in Information Technology from Penn State and MBA from George Mason University.. So I am not just talking the talk.. I have walked the walk..
I'm a junior in college studying marketing, advertising and entrepreneurship and I have never considered dropping out, but I want to do REI as soon as I graduate. I think it's good to have a job lined up right after graduation to have a steady income to fund RE investments.
I do disagree with the above statement that a degree in marketing gets you nowhere. A degree in marketing could get you a high-profile business position in a large corporation, or a high-paying job at a marketing/ad agency, as well as help in almost any business path. Being a student at a very well-respected professional school (School of Media and Journalism at UNC-CH), I don't think anything can replace the valuable experiences I've gained in college, mostly outside of the classroom. College gives you a chance to try out a lot of different things through student organizations and campus events without the repercussions that come with being an adult out of school. College has taught me how to present myself as a professional, how to network professionally and tons of knowledge applicable to the real estate field and beyond. Many of my classes have been hands-on and project- based and have provided results that I can use in my professional life.
In my opinion, it is certainly doable to fly by the seat of your pants and make it without going to college. But, I think a degree gives you a huge head start in any field, whether it's the corporate world or entrepreneurship.
