Beneficial to get Real Estate analyst/acquisition experience prior to becoming a commercial agent?

Hello, a little background on my self prior to getting into the topic. I am 24 year old recent graduate from a non-target school with a degree in finance with a 3.0 GPA. I've been going back and forth between going into the capital markets/analytical side of commercial real estate or becoming a commercial real estate agent. I have been leaning towards becoming an agent currently, because since i am young this seems like the best opportunity for my self to try while I have a support system/don't have to support anyone else.

For my main question is that like the title says is it important to get some sort of analytical job before becoming an agent to learn more about commercial real estate or does it not matter. I have been reading articles written by @CRE" and if i got the timeline correct he moved from a research analyst position to a broker position. Is this a common occurrence or just a personal preference.I would love to hear other peoples experience,advice, and suggestions.

Sorry I couldn't post the articles that i was referring to since I am a new user(long time lurker that decided to finally sign up).

 
Best Response

Getting your license is good when you're starting out, not because it holds any real value or because studying for it teaches you any useful knowledge, but because the act of getting it shows your interest, and if you're going for brokerage positions, you will need it anyhow.

One of the reasons I was a market analyst first is because I did not have my license and did not have any experience whatsoever when I was applying for real estate positions. I was Poli Sci Pre-Law all through college until I last minute decided against Law School (thank god) and had to scramble for an Econ minor and a new career path last minute. I networked/bullshitted my way into a big name brokerage firm, but without a license or experience I had to start somewhere.

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