I'm considering getting into the flipping/rental business. I currently am fresh out of college with an 8-5 IT job but feel way more enthusiastic about the real estate industry at the moment and would love to start making some investments. The problem is that I have zero experience in real estate and have just been educating myself every day after work with books and the internet. I've come to the realization (correct me if I'm wrong) that if you want to invest smartly, you must have contact with multiple real estate agents so that you can get accurate numbers from the MLS to fully understand your market. In my head I'm thinking, "Well why not just get a real estate licence myself so I can have access to the numbers whenever I want without having to go through anyone?".

So I need some advice, is it work getting a real estate licence for this purpose?

Congrats on starting on your real estate investing journey! Couple of thoughts:

Getting your real estate license is expensive. High up front costs and also decent reoccurring payments. In order to have access to the MLS, you have to pay a fee (usually each quarter..) I would recommend finding ONE good agent to start working with and get your feet wet with a first investment. Hold onto your W-2 job for now so you can qualify for financing. You are doing the right things by learning and putting in the time after hours to sharpen your skills. What area are you interested in investing in?