Break into CRE from military

Background: 5.5 years as an Army Engineer officer (will have 8 at end of contract). The majority of my work experience is in construction management/ contract management for projects ranging between $500k- $70M.

Undergrad: Civil Engineering- West Point GPA ~2.5

Certificates: -Engineer in Training (passed first series in tests to earn professional engineer cert) -is a PE cert relevant in land development? -eCornell Grad certificate in Commercial Real Estate

2 plans to break into CRE: Plan 1 (FT MBA at a T25): study for a +700 GMAT and attend a 2 year FT program directly after leaving the military using GI Bill. Will most likely attend a program in TX. Work as a post MBA associate for 2-3 years then relocate to Seattle, WA. Even with a high GMAT I don’t anticipate being competitive for an M7 or T10 and don’t have plans to work for a top firm in NYC etc.

Plan 2 (Georgetown MSRE online): use my GI bill to complete the Georgetown MSRE during my last two years in service and then complete the A. CRE accelerator course. I plan to complete a DOD sponsored internship for 3 months with a small firm in the Austin, TX area. Then move to Seattle, WA and try to secure an analyst position in acquisitions, asset management, or land development. Then attend a PT MBA if necessary after working for two years to be competitive for associate or higher (will pay out of pocket).

Long term career goal: I have one industrial warehouse in Houston, TX and plan to us that as a launch point (either 1031 exchange or sell and invest as an LP)to build a portfolio of CRE to eventually run my own family firm. I plan on gaining experience working industry for 10 years before pivoting to pursue entrepreneurship.

Opinions/ analysis: are either of my plans tenable? Is one better than the other in terms of risk and reward given my long term goals. What risks have I not accounted for?

Thank you!