Advice on choosing my "day job"
Hi everyone,
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. I’m a huge fan of BiggerPockets and am hoping to buy my first rental property within the next year or two. I’m stuck between two very different career paths and would appreciate some advice from people who have been in the industry.
Job 1: High-paying role outside of real estate
Pros:
- - High income potential; I could realistically save ~$60K–$100K within two years.
- - More personal capital to put toward my first investment properties.
Cons:
- - Completely unrelated to real estate or investing.
- - Very demanding hours, leaving little time to learn the industry or actively search for deals.
- - I would likely need to rely heavily on brokers and turnkey providers because I wouldn’t have the time or experience to thoroughly analyze deals myself.
Job 2: Multifamily real estate development role with a large institutional company
Pros:
- - Direct exposure to the real estate industry, specifically multifamily development.
- - Opportunity to learn underwriting, deal structure, construction, financing, and the development process from experienced professionals.
- - Build credibility and relationships that could help me later when raising capital or working with lenders.
- - I’m genuinely interested in the day-to-day work and could see myself building a career in this space.
Cons:
- - While it pays well, I would likely only save around $50K over two years.
- - Less personal capital available to invest immediately.
The way I see it, Job 1 gives me more money to invest but less knowledge and fewer connections. Job 2 gives me the knowledge, experience, and network but delays how much capital I can put into my own deals.
For those who have built a real estate portfolio or transitioned into development, which path would you choose? Is the industry experience worth sacrificing some initial investment capital?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Most Popular Reply
This one hits close to home because I'm essentially living Job 1 right now. I currently have an unrelated, high paying job while building a property management company on the side. So I can give you a real answer rather than a theoretical one.
My honest take is that capital is easier to replace than knowledge and network. The extra amount in savings means nothing if you buy the wrong deal because you didn't know what to look for. Less in savings but with real underwriting experience and relationships with lenders and developers is worth significantly more at the starting line.
That said, the thing about Job 1 is that high income buys you optionality. With $60K to $100K saved in two years you can afford to make a mistake on your first deal and recover. With $50K and no margin for error, one bad deal can set you back years.
The real question is what kind of investor you want to be. If your goal is large multifamily, development, or raising capital from others someday, Job 2 is almost unfair in how much it accelerates that path. You'd be learning institutional underwriting and deal structure from the inside, the kind of education that normally costs years of trial and error.
If your goal is smaller residential, SFR, or small multifamily, Job 1 probably wins because the knowledge gap is smaller and capital matters more.
One thing I'd push back on in your framing though: Job 1 doesn't have to mean zero learning. I've spent nights and weekends reading, analyzing deals, and building my business while keeping the W2. It's harder but it's very doable. The demanding hours are real but so is the discipline you build from having to be intentional with your time.
What does your end goal actually look like in 10 years? That probably points directly at which path makes more sense.