Career Path's in RE and/or RE Appraiser?

[Hayet Ashley Arous]

Hello, 

I am looking for a new career path in real estate. I have my BA in Finance from Cal State Fullerton and I have 3-4 years of work experience as a Buyer/Planner. 

I was thinking of going back to school to get my certification to be a RE Appraiser, however after reading some forums, I'm not sure it's worth all the effort. I discovered real estate a little later in my life (currently 27 years old), but I really want to be involved in RE. my long-term goal is to be a RE investor and own rental properties, so having a strong income to be able to afford down payments is important. I'm torn between going back to the 9-5 life and saving money to invest or starting a new career path in RE and being fully invested in the industry. 

Also, the reason why I want to start a new career path in RE is that I feel like it would give me an advantage, I want to learn everything about the industry - trends, hot markets, new deals on the market and so forth. I also want to move away from the 9-5 life, I was never happy working in an office. I want to have a flexible scheduled so when I start my family I can afford to stay at home or work from home at least.