Choosing a career path: Real Estate vs Accounting

[dice]

Trying to decide where I will focus my efforts for the rest of my life. Real Estate is bad now, but it will go back up in a few years to where it was. Meaning, now is the time to get in. I have a personal mentor and it seems more interesting than accounting even though I enjoy numbers.

Accounting is more definate. I pay my dues and I'm guarenteed to be succesful. I think I would enjoy it and it's more safe than going for Real Estate which is more chancy. I do not have a mentor in accounting but I don't think I'd need one or I would find one during my internship.

 

[Lincoln]

Accounting is dependable, but boring as hell.

I am in the tourism business (I guess you can call it that?) and the majority of our high end guys that roll in with deep pockets are real estate. One guy made millions selling ranches, another commerical property in Vegas and Arizona...all started out broke as a joke selling...bought a cheap rental...then another and another...

Can't really say the same for accoutants...they seem to be more of the penny pinching "Can I have a reciept" type lol.

 

[ready123]

What exactly do you want to do in real estate? Agent? Broker? Loans? And NOW is the time to get in, in terms of investing, but you're talking about a career, which is totally different.

Real estate is a slave to the market. Are you willing to suffer in times like these? My best friend is a broker and is actually trying to switch to accounting. His brother is a commercial agent. Like the guy above me said, this is where the money's at, but you have to know how to network and self-promote extremely well. He pulled in about 25k a month but now with the economy tanking, he's quitting.

Here in CA, as an accountant, the path goes, you pass the CPA (pretty hard), try to get into one of the big 4 (pretty hard), and then pay your dues. But as a CPA, your cert isn't recognized out of state

 

[Lexington]

Given that accounting is a more dependable profession, why not try BOTH? An accounting job can provide you with a steady and dependable stream of income which can also be used a source of capital to finance your real estate ventures.

Real estate can pay off big time but you can also crash and burn. Yeah we hear about all those billionaires like Trump etc., but there are lots of guys who are struggling in that business.

If you get into accounting you can be sure that you'll have a solid job to fall back on if the real estate thing doesn't work out.

I say hedge your bets and do both.

 

[Luke Skywalker]

Post deleted - affirms negative thinking, not acceptable.

 

[gruby]

Bro, in all honesty, of all the things you can do in your life you chose between accounting or real estate? You give up on your life when you just ponder this option.

 

[dice]

well than what should i do? Your so smart and you know everything..should i become a cop? should i become a doctor? a teacher? all the things i can do with my life and i choose these? I want to know what is it that im missing out on

ty for the replys guys you're really helping me sort things out

 

[Lust]

Ok mate, listen carefully.

The most important thing is being honest with yourself and asking the right questions. Why do you want to be in real estate? Why do you want to be in accounting?

Do you really want to get into real estate and accounting, or do you just wants what's associated with them?

e.g. My mate wants to be a doctor, not necessarily because enjoys it, or finds it interesting, but he wants to do it for the things associated with being a doctor.

-secure future
-decent house
-fast cars
-social status
-impress opposite sex
-lots of money

But he might get into the industry and absolutely hate it, he might find out it hits none of his core values, or he might get a fvckload of things he didn't want that he didn't think about.

-ridiculous hours
-hard work
-immense pressure
-busy lifestyle
-constant studying
-lack of freedom
-social life suffers

etc etc etc

If you are honest with what you want and why you want it, you can save years, this way you will understand what you want without any bvll**** lies/excuses/justifications and go for what it is you really want in your life, and you can do this BEFORE you spend years and years, perhaps wasted in something that will not fulfill your core values and needs as a human.

I want you to ask yourself these questions, they will help you understand yourself a little better and help you come to the realization of what will really make you happy in life.

What is it that you value most? Why do you value them?

How would it affect you if you were not able to have these things in your life?

What are the negative elements associated with achieving and having these things?

Then ask yourself what careers/pathways will provide happiness, fulfill your needs, and give you what you value the most.

E.g.

If i find that i love making people happy, i love social interaction, i love music, i like being unique and working cool jobs, hate being stuck in an office and i want a fair bit of cash, even the chance to sarge/push social interactions during work, i may decide to become a DJ because it hits all of these things on the head. Do you see how asking yourself the right questions can lead you to what will truly make you most happy?

I hope this makes sense mate, if not, feel free to PM me.

-Lust.

 

[puma183]

Real Estate is an industry, Accounting is a professional trade.

By RE if you mean a RE Sales Professonal (i.e. Realtor), I would recommend against it as technology will be cutting the middleman out more and more. Look what Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, and Orbitz have done to the one time friendly neighborhood travel agent. The job still exists, but there is about 20% as many professionals remaining as there used to be in the early-90's, and they don't make nearly as much.

I liked the earlier poster's idea of going with becoming a fully qualified CPA, while doing the RE-gig on weekends. You may be one of those 1% with the Midas-touch, and you can switch fields if this is so; but don't bet the farm on it.

 

[Warrior74]

What is your passion in life? What are you passionate about? Until you can anwser that you need to wait on deciding a career.

 

[Stud]

Here in CA, as an accountant, the path goes, you pass the CPA (pretty hard), try to get into one of the big 4 (pretty hard), and then pay your dues. But as a CPA, your cert isn't recognized out of state

If you pass the CPA, which takes about year to do, it is recognized in every state in the union. the exam is uniform, the only difference is that some states require 150 credits instead of 120.

if you have to get online to ask advice on which one to do for the rest of your life, then you do not want to really do either. stop thinking what will make you money and start thinking about what you like to do.

 

[Wiesman44]

Trying to decide where I will focus my efforts for the rest of my life. Real Estate is bad now, but it will go back up in a few years to where it was. Meaning, now is the time to get in. I have a personal mentor and it seems more interesting than accounting even though I enjoy numbers.

Accounting is more definate. I pay my dues and I'm guarenteed to be succesful. I think I would enjoy it and it's more safe than going for Real Estate which is more chancy. I do not have a mentor in accounting but I don't think I'd need one or I would find one during my internship.

I used to be in your shoes, and kinda messed things up. Here's my best bit of advice:

Get your accounting degree as a back-up. Get an internship in accounting as well. When u graduate, if you decide you want to do real estate, go for that first, so that if things don't work out, you have a back-up so u can still make $. Then sort things out as you have a decent living.

FYI. Accounting can have long hours and can get really dull. If you are looking for something exciting in your life, accounting may not be it.

But if you are looking for security of your job, or hte ability to find a new job rather quickly, accounting is the way to go.

Security or potential for excitement and $. Your choice, you choose.

 

[OTB]

Bro, in all honesty, of all the things you can do in your life you chose between accounting or real estate? You give up on your life when you just ponder this option.

Hahahahaha! :crackup:

But in all honesty, I completely agree with Grubby :yes:


In my opinion, you have probably picked two of the most boring occupations the modern American job market has to offer....

I'm almost a 100% certain that there are fields out there that hold a similar level of dependability but are wayyyyy more interesting!

Even Computer Science (which is absolutely boring in my opinion) is a bit more interesting than Accounting or Real Estate....


But if you want my honest opinion on your current life-changing predicament, I would have to say, in all honesty, that if I were to be given these two choices I would have to choose Real Estate!

Reasons: it is a lot more interesting than Accounting (hell, even a Sanitation worker can look forward to a more interesting career than anyone in Accounting) and for the simple fact that you already have an experienced individual who is already distinguished field mentoring you in hopes that you will choose the path of Real Estate...

 

[OTB]

well than what should i do? Your so smart and you know everything..should i become a cop? should i become a doctor? a teacher? all the things i can do with my life and i choose these? I want to know what is it that im missing out on

ty for the replys guys you're really helping me sort things out

dice - Don't get so angry and bent out of shape cause of Gruby's reply.... :box:


His main point was quite a philosophical one:

From what I can get out of it, he probably meant to say,
"With the enormous multitude of different possibilities our wonderful world has to offer, why would you choose to just simply play it safe? Unfortunately, You have only one life to live - So why waste it away doing something you're not very passionate about?"