Brokerage Experience or College Focus for Long Term Investing

[Jake Burkons]

Hey BP, I'm looking for some guidance from people further down the road than me.

I’m 19 and recently finished military service overseas in combat. I’ve already started investing in real estate and plan to keep building long-term. I’ve also begun the process of getting my real estate license.

My end goal (at the moment) is ownership and investing or , but part of me is considering working at a brokerage for a few years after college to learn from experienced agents/operators and build a real world experience before scaling further.

At the same time, I want to go back to school and finish a degree. I originally planned on business, but because I’ll be transferring later with about 24 credits, getting into the business school at UT isn’t realistic anymore.

So now I’m looking at other majors possibly Urban Studies and pairing that with finance and architecture / built environment classes to better understand:

• how markets grow
• zoning / development
• value-add opportunities

I’m torn between:

– Going all-in on investing + brokerage experience
– Or using college as a tool to better understand cities and long-term real estate dynamics

For those of you who run brokerages or have hired agents:

If I were applying to your brokerage, how important would it be that my degree is in business?

Would something like Urban Studies  combined with finance and architecture-related coursework still be taken seriously if my goal is to grow into investing / development long term?

If you were 19, already investing, planning to get licensed, and had the option to finish a degree what would you focus on and how would you go about it?

Appreciate any perspective from those who’ve gone from early ownership into scaling or partnerships.

[Pierre Guirguis]

I wish I had invested more aggressively at 19 when my downside risk was basically zero. Time is your biggest asset right now, take full advantage of it and your future self will thank you. 

If your end goal is ownership and investing, I’d optimize for proximity to deals and operators. Brokerage can give you reps, pattern recognition, and access to opportunities faster than most degrees.

College isn’t useless, but the major matters less than the network and the skills you build. Urban Studies + finance is completely legitimate if you’re serious about development long term. What won’t matter much is the label of “business” versus something adjacent.

If I were in your shoes, I would:

- Get licensed
- Work around high-volume operators or investment brokers
- Invest small and often
- Use school strategically, not passively

Real-world reps compound faster than classroom theory in this space.

You’re already ahead by thinking about this intentionally.