College and Real Estate

It seems that college is implanted into everyone's lives nowadays. The idea is that college is the key to success. You get a degree, you show some boss guy that degree and how amazing you did in college, and then you work for the boss guy. I have a problem with college. College - and school in general - does not teach you about keeping your finances in check. College does not show us how to handle our taxes, how to go out there and get a job, and more related, college does not show us how to buy ourselves homes. So how do you, the college wannabe investor make it happen? How do you learn about these things? Well the answer is within yourself.

I know I am in no position to talk real estate, having no deals closed, and very little experience in real estate. But I assure you, I have plans to achieve my next and first deal. I write this blog to target the struggling newbie who knows nothing and is on the brink of giving up. Have you been in the position where you're young, you want financial freedom, but you have no idea how to get there with real estate? Me too. I've wanted to give up on just educating myself. Why? Because I was lazy and the value of real estate investing had not exceeded the cost of what it takes to start.

I am currently attending college at a California State University and I have had thoughts of dropping out since day one. I began my journey as a business major, but when I realized it wasn't what I was hoping for, I quickly switched to communications. I did not want to learn about supply and demand, nor did I want to learn about standard deviation and z-scores. College has not once, taught me anything about real estate and being successful in life. What college taught me is that I am paying three grand just to have someone teach me something I can learn from a book that I paid two hundred dollars for.

What did I do? I picked up my first book on real estate The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner and taught myself. I NEVER read. However, this book hooked me. I was finally reading things I wanted to learn rather than things that would fly through my head in college. From there I picked up more and more books on real estate. I was reading as often as possible, but it just was not making the cut. Some people are just more hands on learners like me. 

Humans thrive on communication and interaction with other humans. This "interaction" is known as networking; which is one of the beauties of real estate if you ask me. Networking - in my opinion - is the best possible way to learn about real estate and it is fun. You get to speak your mind to people, share your thoughts, have yourself critiqued,  learn how others achieved and what they did, and much more can happen in one conversation. Get yourself out there. You're reading this on bigger pockets, which is a fantastic website to network yourself and learn the ropes of real estate. 

So what exactly am I trying to tell you, the newbie investor? It's that I understand you may be lazy, you may be struggling to learn, and you may feel like giving up. But if you have a passion for real estate as strong as you think you do, then touching the waters should be a labor you know will provide with return and you can find a way to enjoy it. Pick up a book, any book on real estate investing. Or get yourself out there. Get out of your comfort zone and talk to people. We are all friendly and willing to show you around. Set a goal to do something outside of your comfort zone like pick up a book and finish it. Or write a blog on bigger pockets (my goal). Whatever it is, If you're lazy or on the verge of giving up, then somehow I believe in you more than you believe in yourself. That has to change. The change begins with you, good luck.