Steps to becoming a CRE broker?
I will be finished with my sophomore year of college after this semester. I have been applying to internships related to real estate and finance, but so far nothing has looked promising. I know the reason for this is because I transferred to a community college from a four year this semester with the intention of transferring to a different four year in the fall. 

My main question is how I would go about becoming a CRE broker and what steps I will need to take to achieve that. Any suggestions would be amazing.
Thanks!
[{"id": "d0hmcti", "text": "Im about a year in and started 3 months out of college as a Runner for a dominant industrial broker in our specific market. I have had three internships at large corporations and noticed all the corporate bs that young people in entry level to intermediate positions have to deal with (which I wanted to avoid).\n\nFirst of all get your license. This will make you much more attractive especially as an intern it shows that you are taking CRE seriously into consideration as a career. Also make sure to take a crash course before you take the actual test (it pretty much shows you how to pass).\n\nSecond, work your network (parents, friends, school) and try to find a broker that you or one of the previously mentioned sources might know. Brokers will usually take on an intern or refer other brokers to you who are thinking of taking one on. \n\nThird, get a degree with some sort of finance background. I have a Poli Sci degree but it looks better if you have business or finance etc...\n\nFourth, I do not know you but CRE is hard. Between becoming introduced to the industry and learning how it works to actually becoming an effective agent takes about 10 months for most young people who start this as their first job out of college. You need a great work ethic, be able to learn quickly and sometimes on the fly, and most importantly you need to be an excellent communicator (which I am still working on among many other things). \n\nI work on a team with guys who have been doing this 20+ years and I cannot believe the freedom and enjoyment of their careers that they have. I told my sponsoring broker after 3 months that this is the career for me and I maintain that feeling. For me the long hours are brutal (i get in around 7am and usually don't leave until 7pm), but compared to my friend's seemingly miserable jobs which they will leave within the next 6 months and start all over somewhere else at 50-75k, I get to drive around and see/ feel what I am dealing in, i get to talk to different people and see how various businesses operate, every deal is unique and poses its own challenges and most of all I get to truly make my own destiny and have the chance to make some serious money. Also it is nice that you really don't have a boss and can avoid dealing with as much bs but if you do not make money later on after \"training\" you are dead weight to your team and you will be bounced right out on your ass and personally I would be absolutely humiliated. This will not happen to me and I hope that it does not happen to you if you do choose CRE as a career. ", "replies": [{"id": "d0hmy0y", "text": "Thanks for replying! How big of an issue will not having a license be for getting internships? I only ask because I think in Illinois you have to be 21 to get the license and I wont turn 21 until right before my senior year starts. \n\nDo you have any other networking tips for me? I have been trying  network through my family and parents' friends but it's not looking to promising. \n\nIs the pay when you first start out as bad as everyone says it is? ", "replies": [{"id": "d0homgs", "text": "No worries. Not too bad but it will help alot and its good to do it before you get too busy out of college. \n\nOther than that you can look up alums from your uni or just do it the old fashioned way and apply/ call brokers (which can be intimidating) but that would blow their socks off and if the guy you call has no use for you he will refer you to someone then that guy will refer you etc..\n\nYes it sucks im in SoCal making 30k this year and yes that sucks very very badly but remember that your sponsoring broker is paying that out of pocket... and your in this for the long haul, I want to make 300k in 2 years unlike my buddies who will be lucky to break 100", "replies": [{"id": "d0hrj2d", "text": "How heavily are things like gpa and college rank weighted when trying to get a job? Is that less important than interviewing skills and just networking into the position? ", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "d0i30g6", "text": "Depends if you get commission based pay or what aspect of CRE you are working. Lease commissions are pretty nice if you get paid on renewals and options. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "d0i30h1", "text": "Depends if you get commission based pay or what aspect of CRE you are working. Lease commissions are pretty nice if you get paid on renewals and options. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "d0igloe", "text": "Becoming a CRE broker is not hard, but becoming a broker with a good firm and good team can be difficult without experience.\n\nCall every brokerage team in your market and ask for coffee. Show them you are not afraid to reach out, make a cold call, and sell yourself as a competent person.\n\nDepending on your brokerage firm/team structure, it is likely you will not make any money for **at least** 6 months. CRE brokers are commissioned based, and CRE transactions take anywhere from 6 months-2 years. Be prepared for this.", "replies": [{"id": "d0j19nx", "text": "What specifically do you mean by experience? Relevant internships or more of an analyst position in real estate?", "replies": [{"id": "d0m27p3", "text": "I meant industry experience; whether you worked as an analyst in a brokerage firm, property management company, developer, etc. Knowing the fundamentals of business development, deal execution, and market intel can go a long way.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "d0pjro4", "text": "The best route to becoming a CRE broker is to start the real estate course this at least lets people know you are serious and you have demonstrated action not just talk, which is common more than you would think in particular for people that understand that to be a CRE broker you need to have a serious desire to be a sales person. It is a SALES job. The product is not real estate. The product is YOU. All caps simply because many people don't get this and think it is a cushy executive job. It is not, but it can feel like it some days and that is the appeal to many. \n\nI will keep it brief here so as not get off the point that you need to take an action that people in the CRE brokerage business will see as positive and they look for action. Once you start the course then start learning the address of every office building in your market. Start with office buildings because the office leasing tenant representation business is the easiest to learn and pays the most commission. Start there, but learn the address of every office building. Another day we can talk about what you do after that.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]