Real Estate Agent Transition Into AM

Location: London

Degree: Chemistry (1st class)

Situation: 
I am debating whether to join my friend's real estate company that he works for due to the high level of commission he receives, and currently, I am unemployed looking to break into the AM sector.

Background: 
My background is a Chemistry degree (1st class), graduating 5 years ago. Since then, I have found it tough to break into the AM sector. After uni, I co-founded a business that didn't take off (12-18 months), then went into a research/consulting firm (7 months). Later, all the graduate intake was laid off, and I was unemployed for a while until I networked an internship (3 months). I have finished an internship (3 months FTC) with an AM firm (£25B AUM) and have interviews with Legal & General, LGT, etc.

By chance, I reconnected with an old friend who's suggesting I join the estate agency he works for, which caters for luxury high-end houses and flats. His salary is very attractive (£250K-300K), he sells well, and it is all commission-based. The dilemma is: do I join his firm and potentially earn well (1st year £60K-100K OTE, 2nd year £100K-150K, 3rd year £150K-200K) while studying for the CFA to help with the transition into finance?

He speaks about his career earnings not being as lucrative towards the end compared to AM/PE/IBD/HF, as the bonuses at senior levels are very lucrative. But when comparing his earnings in the first 5 years, they are better than the first 5 years in AM, etc.

The positions I am applying to are all around £40K entry-level, then after years of qualifying £100K+, then after climbing the ladder, it's better.
 

The dilemma: 
The dilemma I have is, do I join his firm and be a real estate agent for luxury high-end houses and flats, potentially make decent money if my OTE is good, while studying for the CFA, and possibly an MBA after, or do I stick to entry-level roles in AM and climb the ladder? Or does that pigeonhole me into real estate as an agent? Would it be possible to make the transition without a large percentage loss in salary once I've passed my CFA? What are the exit opportunities for me in this situation? I am 28 turning 29 next month and am a late starter in this industry. I have a strong work ethic and I am good with networking. In fact, the AM firm I interned at was very impressed with me. The CEO/CIO personally said, "You are excellent, we love your work ethic, and it's a shame we aren't hiring at the moment." They couldn't get me out of the office; I was just powering through 12+ hours some days when they expected 9 am-7 pm. For me, it was 9 am-11 pm some days.

Any advice is very much appreciated, especially if you have been in a similar situation or made the transition from a real estate agent to finance while maintaining a good salary.