Trying to break into CRE. HELP
I have been in financial advising and am currently in tech sales. i like the analytical aspect of real estate so I am trying to figure out the best way to break in..

1. Do my online MBA (keep working my current sales job), take my licensing exam and then look for a financial analyst/research job with a team 
2. Skip the MBA, get my real estate license, and save up enough money to live a year without a salary (should take me 6-8 months) and go for a brokerage role, skip the research/financial analyst role

**I do have some CRE experience working in research previously, but not at a brokerage

Goal is to go from Investment Sales -&gt; REPE/REAM
[{"id": "dlqf96n", "text": "In my experience an MBA will not help you at all in brokerage so I vote #2. Question: why are you planning to use investment sales as a stepping stone to what is likely a lower income career? ", "replies": [{"id": "dlqfx6v", "text": "You can make lower in REPE/REAM than in investment sales?? Really?? I didn't know that", "replies": [{"id": "dlqgxxp", "text": "Do some research and will as well. What would you be doing in private equity or asset management? I'd imagine you'd be an employee on a salary (I could be wrong). ", "replies": [{"id": "dlqvopn", "text": "I guess I don't know how much you can make as an investment sales broker at a top tier city (no NYC or LA). Does anyone know?\n\nAs a PE or AM guy I'd be salary unless I made partner at a firm and got carry. ", "replies": [{"id": "dlqwcgl", "text": "I'm in Houston. Based on my observation an average mid career broker makes $200,000-250,000. New guys make $60,000-80,000. Top level make $1MM+. Keep in mind this is 1099 100% commission. If you're the type of person that wants or needs a salary with benefits and a boss then being a broker may not be a good fit. ", "replies": [{"id": "dlqz4yt", "text": "Yea I'm fine with those numbers, and I'm fine with no salary...I just want to ease my way into it haha.\n\nCan someone move to Houston with no connection to the state and do well there or do you need to have ties to the area? It and Dallas is on my list even though I've only ever been in Texas on a layover.\n\nAlso how did you break in to brokerage and get yourself established? I would pm you but I'm sure someone will ask the same questions in the future and this info may help them", "replies": [{"id": "dlr4b9k", "text": "Go ahead and PM me and I'll tell you my background and how I got in. Long story short, knowing someone or having family in commercial real estate helps, but it's really all about the cloth you're cut from. It's challenging to find people who can handle brokerage. I started at a large national firm with no degree and no real estate experience, but I had a strong resume of continual promotions and increases and responsibility in an unrelated industry. I applied online as the website asked, then I hunted down the actual hiring manager and called him directly twice in two days. Doing that showed the hiring manager that I could prospect and I would identify what I wanted and go get it. I got partly lucky because I came from the fitness industry and the hiring manager had success with previous gym guys. That said, I did have the lack of a bachelors degree to overcome. All in all I'm doing well, but I will do what it takes to a fault and not everyone is wired that way. ", "replies": [], "depth": 7}], "depth": 6}], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "dm1j8le", "text": "I work in REPE and do better than the eastdil guys. Depends on if you are good at sales or not. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dlx14as", "text": "Guys at Eastdil, HFF and other top firms in certain cities for investment sales senior brokers  can make 2-20M but takes a longgggggg time to earn your way up ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]