Free Bachelor’s degree - what should I choose?

Question

Hello,

My name is Steven. I am new to the real-estate investing world. Recently I read Rich Dad Poor Dad, and it peaked my interest. I’m currently reading Brandon Turners books, and I have plans to read others. I want to learn as much as I can and save money until I’m ready to jump in.

That being said I currently work at a manufacturing plant. I’ve been there long enough that they will pay for my schooling. I feel like it would be a waste to not take advantage of it while I save and learn about real estate investing. My question is what major would you recommend I take? I must keep in mind that the major I take has to, in some way, relate to my job (business, engineering, HR, etc.). Currently I am thinking about majoring in business with a financial focus.

Thank you for any help & advice!

Billy Daniel · Answer

If I were to design a 4-year degree program for investors, it would contain the following courses:

Communications, accounting, finance, micro/macroeconomics, banking, communications, negotiations, sociology, financial planning, and then communications.

Basically, all the things a strong investor needs to have a good working knowledge of to have a diverse portfolio.

Jaron Walling · Answer

@Steven Thomas Nothing in life is free. There's always a cost whether you can see it or not. Opportunity, dollar, and time costs. College isn't for everyone. There are numerous bad degrees that don't yield great job opportunities.

That said if you can avoid Puppet Arts like @Russell Brazil mentioned... I'd still leverage a good education. You'll meet new people. You'll get inspired and try new things. You get stressed and push through mental and physical barriers (if you choose). Other than a degree that's what I cherished most about college.

Ryan Halford · Answer

You never know how the world will change over the next 70 years of your life. I wouldn't recommend any intelligent, self motivated person who wants to be entrepreneurial to go to college - UNLESS it was free. Then I absolutely would. Hopefully you will live a long life and 4 years is not going to break the trajectory of your goals especially since you don't likely have a bunch of capital right now to hit the ground running and keep running without running out of fuel (cash). In college you will learn a lot of life applicable things, you will network with a lot of people who will be valuable to you down the line (this is where your major is important), you will learn how to communicate more effectively, you will learn how to learn better, and overall you will be a more educated well-rounded person from core classes like psychology, philosophy, and the like. There is no disadvantage to sharpening your brain. The only down side to college is the cost in my opinion. The time is beyond worth it even if it doesn't apply to what you want to do in life, because the truth is it still applies to anything you do in life. That being said, and to answer your question, I would recommend a degree in commercial real estate, business, or sales. Starting your career out as a commercial real estate broker would really open up your network. A degree in business will help you if you decide to get into owning businesses (most of my tribe in GoBundance who are in real estate also are involved in some type of other business), lastly sales is key to anything you do in life, the sooner you learn that the better off you will be. How ever you start out, keep focused on the next step, don't get stuck in any situation. Have a vision, goals to get you there, be consistent, and stay healthy. Feel free to reach out if there is anything you would like to talk about. I'm just down the road from you and I'm also a REALTOR who is an investor and I've owned multiple businesses.

Michael Haynes · Answer

Hello Steven Thomas. When I was 15 I said that I want to learn Blue Collar JOBs first. White Collar JOBs second. Then, I said I want to retire as an Investor. I am 75 and Baby Boomers at that time did not have any good, practical councelors. My dad worked at Stanford and he demanded that I study Law or Medicine. For girls there was Secretary or a Nurse. I tried to go to Junior High and after a couple months the Counselor called me in and she asked me, "What do you want to learn in College?" I told her that I wanted to learn how to make a lot of Money..." She said that was not what School was for and I quit. I had been working since I was 8. At 16 I took Shop and got a JOB rebuilding VW engines etc. after High School. At 19 I had $25,000 Cash and did not know what to do with it...so, I hitchhiked around the World during the Vietnam War.  Do you have a "Talent?" Something that you are really good at, like basketball, poetry, girl watching, working overtime? I think it is very important to find your "Talent" and put that to work for you. You read Kiyosaki's, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad." Did you know that there never was a "Rich Dad?" He lied like all the rest of the Ra Ra Real Estate guys. Kiyosaki's message is for you to learn how to Invest with Other People's Money.  The Big Message that I got was that "Daily Cash Flow is the most important." Did you know that Robert Kiyosaki bought his first property in 1973? He had 7000 properties in 2022. At the start of Covid he said he had stopped Buying and was just Sell, Sell, Sell. If you watch his youtube videos he promotes Crypto and Gold for the longterm. I studied Investing for ten years when I was working on Oil Tankers. When I was off the ships I attended 100 Get Rich Quick Seminars with two RE Agent ladies. With some of the $10,000 I would make every six months I invested with Merriman in Seattle. It was a Bull Market and with his Mutual Funds I made $100,000 which I used to buy my Rental Duplexes and Houses in S. Tampa when I gave up the ships in 1999. I had three Captain's Licenses, up to 500 ton Frieght and Towing with all kinds of other endorsements. I thought that If I could be a Mate on the Supply Vessels in the Oil Field this would satisfy my idea of "White Colar JOB."  Instead, I became a Landlord and joined a Stock Investing Club in Tampa with 500 old millionaires who were just looking for a "Safe Place to park their Money at 20%." I traded Stocks and then Options on Stocks and then Futures. One of the Seminar presenter's that we had every week, giving us their $3000, one day seminars for free told us that he would, "Never take advice from anyone who is not a Millionaire." "Practice makes Perfect, but, only if you Practice Perfectly." I ended up daytrading the ES and NQ Futures on my laptop for a couple hours a day on my laptop. I am really a Micro-scalper using the shortest timeframes and I make around $500 an hour. I sold my four Commercial lots in S. Tampa before Covid. Took a year, every day looking on Zillow, to find a 1500 sq. ft. 3/3 Townhome in a small Community with low HOA and pool in Valrico. I paid $175,000 Cash and a year later it was worth $320,000. I sold my last Rental in Tampa during the Covid. All I have left are some houses I built in Brazil, with a small Farm and Mountain property that I am fixing up to Sell and reinvest the Money offshore. If I was you and you can keep your JOB and study at night, online, I would go for it. Max out your potential. But, you need to look at what JOB's make the Most Money. Did you know that it pays $150,000 a year to be an Elevator Repairman? UPS is negotiating to pay their Driver's $175,000 a year plus benefits and give them AC in the trucks? One of my old Real Estate partners has a son who finally learned how to be a Nurse when he was 28. He did a Search for the Hospital that paid the most Money to get a JOB in Naples. He just got married at 36 and was making $1000 a day. My girlfriend's granddaughter is 15 and she is taking Advanced Placement classes getting straight A's. She is taking 3 classes online at Hillsborough Community College with her High Schooling and plans to graduate at 17 from both. She already went on an excursion with other Genius kids to check out Harvard. My brother got his Business and Finance Master's and got a JOB at Bank of America in Century City, downtown Los Angeles with 25 other Vice Presidents. At the time he was doing Loan Workouts for businesses that were going Bust...like now. He ended up after working for the IRS, to do Bank Audits with a private company. He schedules 5 hours a day, from his bedroom 6 or 7 days a week to keep up with the JOB's. He had to travel this week to another State to do the Audit. The JOB most in demand has been Accountant with Engineering as a second. You know that Artificial Intelligence software programs are being developed for anything that you can do on a computer. The warning from Elon Musk etc. is that the only ones who will survive are the ones that can do their JOB with AI. My dad was an Engineer and he always got JOB's as a Manager. He ended up building the Linear Accelerator at Stanford as Director of Planning. It boggles my mind now, that he worked with all the best Government Physicists on that project. No one at BP talks about all the advantages of being a First Time Home Buyer. If you never owned a property, the safest thing you can to at this time is to Buy your First Home and Homestead it. The Plan is to live in it for 2 out of 5 years and you can Sell it Tax-free for up to $250,000. During the time you fix up your Home you learn to use Zillow etc. and find a Rental. When you Sell your Home you move into your Rental and just do it again, Tax-free Real Estate Machine. Real Estate can be just one part of your Investment Portfolio.

Luke Nolan · Answer

Hi Steven, Rich Dad Poor Dad is an awesome book with lots of great tips! I'm someone who has been studying and working full time (in real estate & construction) for the past 3 years. It's a lot of work but if you can get a free education while working and putting money in your pocket I think that's a win. Any chance of studying online to have more flexibility? I hope this helps and best of luck with things! If you're considering real estate investing in the future I'd love to talk. My team and I help investors in the Tampa area buy and fund their deals. We also have offices all over the USA so happy to help in any way I can.

Matt Devincenzo · Answer

Don't make a decision based upon the false premise that because something 'free' has been offered you should take it. First even free things cost you...they always do...they cost time, effort and intellectual capacity since you can only do so much.

Second just getting the degree may not do much for you. I have a degree in Civil and have worked in the field for 12 years. Really what I'm good at is not engineering design, it is the land use analysis/strategy and project management. But my degree wouldn't allow me to work as an engineer on my own without getting licensed which I've never pursued because it truly just doesn't interest me. The things I'm good at can be done without licensure...the degree certainly helped open the door to the rest, but it wasn't required.

Chris Seveney · Answer

@Steven Thomas

I went civil engineering. It taught excellent problem solving skills and most have a construction management program that teach you how to manage construction projects from estimating, budgeting, contracting etc.

I would not go back and change a thing

Russell Brazil · Answer

Puppet Arts

Tatum Littleton · Answer

I would absolutely take advantage of the free education. But, of course, that's just my opinion. I have a degree in Sport Management but have found value in the experiences I went through while taking classes and meeting other people. I think your initial thoughts on a major are a good track to be on and will definitely help you in REI.

I agree with the others who have said to do what interests you most and you'll still learn more than you think. And that there is no perfect answer, you just need to think about the different things you gain but also miss out on, theres a give and take but ultimately it comes down to what you believe will get you to your goals.

Good luck!

Free Bachelor’s degree - what should I choose?

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