Breaking into brokerage - Any advice for an undergrad? How important is academic performance?
I know there have been plenty of threads with questions like this all over this sub. I have scoured all over to gather as much information as possible on how to get the ball rolling in starting a career. Figured I'll make my own post and ask for some advice.

Basically, I'm a junior at a mid (kinda shitty) state school and don't have the strongest academic background. I'm a Finance major with a 3.2 cumulative GPA. I know for a fact I want to work in some facet of CRE, most likely brokerage.

I have been applying to internships for next summer, (big firms like JLL, CBRE, and smaller ones too). I live in Chicago and plan on working in this market. Like I said, I don't have the strongest academic background and this is what worries me. I also have zero relevant working experience.

I have passed my real estate exam in IL, took some online real estate finance courses, and I'm a member of NAIOP and ULI. Not sure how involved any of you are in the hiring process, but would this be inciting enough to any of you who would be looking to hire an intern? [Here's a copy of my resume if it helps](https://imgur.com/a/EimfsDV) (please feel free to critique)

What I'm really curious about is just how important having a "good" education is? My school has over 20,000 undergrads every year, and I don't think I've found a single one who works in brokerage. When I look at some "Principals", "Presidents", "VP's" and even "Associates", they went to target schools and a lot even have MBA's. Do I even have a shot at working in capital markets or investment sales? I think I have what it takes to be successful in brokerage, but I fucked around too much in high school and didn't have a lot of options when it came to colleges. I don't want to end up at eXp leasing out barbershops (no offense).

I just feel like this will all be my biggest barrier of entry. I would network my ass off if my school had even a sliver of real estate interest at school like UW-Madison or Marquette. Maybe I'm just overanalyzing. Any advice is appreciated.

TL;DR: I'm a Junior at a low tier school with a less than optimal GPA and zero relevant experience. What are my odds of getting an internship, and even after that, how would I breakthrough and find success as a broker? Aka: *Is school important?*
[{"id": "irwdd49", "text": "I would take some accounting courses. You want a good understanding of financials so you know who would be good tenants and who would be risky ones. If I were using a broker who repeatedly sent potential tenants my way who weren\u2019t qualified to rent the space I wouldn\u2019t want to work with them anymore.", "replies": [{"id": "irwdruj", "text": "Yep I'd take as many courses as are available around accounting, finance and investments. Commercial is built around numbers, and that's a hard thing to fake.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}, {"id": "irz48qa", "text": "Accounting or finance? I\u2019d think finance is more important.", "replies": [{"id": "irzxwv4", "text": "Just become an interesting person. Trust me. Your degree won't do anything so do something interesting. Go abroad for a year. Get of your comfort zone early.  Meet people. Build relationships.", "replies": [{"id": "is7a6ge", "text": "I hear ya, but I went to R/E school in a state that requires a pulse and no formal education and let me tell you, there were people there that couldn\u2019t calculate their commission on a deal. So cap rate, CoC returns, NOI, out of the question.", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "is0m0ht", "text": "Either or will work. You don\u2019t necessarily need a college degree to be a broker. You can learn financials on your own these days with the internet. To be a successful broker you need social skills and a good network.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "irwnw8k", "text": "Network find a niche that peaks your interest and call all the brokers that work that niche. School doesn\u2019t matter its all about grit.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "irwo841", "text": "I\u2019m a college dropout and have been doing Multifamily brokerage for the past 7 years and have built a pretty great life for my family. Brokerage comes down to the person who works the hardest and can develop genuine relationships. Being smarter is always better- but other than specific networking events I\u2019ve never discussed my college credentials with anyone. \n\nWork harder than your competitors and you will succeed.", "replies": [{"id": "irz4g8r", "text": "Absolutely! Give me hungry C students all day long. I love them.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "irwtdjw", "text": "The only advice I can really give is network as much as you can. Cold email as many people in the industry you can. I was in a similar position with going to some state school and around a 3.3 gpa. I networked a ton my junior year and got connected to a boutique firm in the Chicago area that I am working for after graduation this year. Feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions.", "replies": [{"id": "irwzgws", "text": "Congratulations on securing your position!\n\nI am a junior this year in college aspiring to work as a commercial broker. If you wouldn\u2019t mind, could I pm you a few quick questions?", "replies": [{"id": "irwzman", "text": "Yeah feel free to shoot me a pm.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "irwuw8q", "text": "Brokerage is more about your networking and relationship abilities than your grades in school.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "iryk503", "text": "I transitioned to brokerage via network and a friends brother. Real Estate is a relationship business and once you\u2019re in it\u2019s pretty easy to do what you want.. just need to get in the door. \n\nCCIM is a commercial RE designation that could help, also I would look into biznow events where you can go and network. \n\nWhile I was working on my CFA at the time i don\u2019t think it made much of a difference especially for CRE. I am not sure any accounting classes will make a difference.. you\u2019re in college and will learn on the job. \n\nExcel will be a big tool so you will want to have some skills there, not much but some. \n\nReach out if you have questions", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "irz5ohj", "text": "2.7 gpa at a private ny university, haven\u2019t made less than 500 in 8 yrs now. interned as a senior w zero prior experience. hung around long enough to be offered a position 35k base salary plus commission from lead brokers. this to me was a great setup. You do basic support work but you\u2019re right next to an experienced broker and built in mentor. Tons of grunt work but if you have a long term vision none of this will bother you. Then your career will naturally grow from there, you may like different specializations etc etc.\n\nI would take the fellow redditors advice, if you absolutely know no one in commercial brokerage who could help you, no alumni (i had tons of alumni in nyc and not one could help like i hoped they would, education is overrated sometimes) then reach out directly to HR or the brokers themselves. example: If you like\nmultifamily, find the midsize firm and approach a broker. Someone will need your help, and someone will like that you are prospecting for this position. Hunger always wins in brokerage. Especially with this market we are heading into\u2026only the strong will legit survive.  \n\nBrokerage is a long game with the end result hopefully being you become a buyer yourself and have a RE portfolio of your own. \n\nDm if you need help with those emails to brokers.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "irz5ziu", "text": "You got to be good at talking and bullshit the first year brokers were all sent to Dale Carnegie courses when I was in the business", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "irzxr94", "text": "Which city are you in? My colleagues that went to Ivy League schools don't benefit much. It's not about where you came from, but results and where you are now. Unlike finance, the entry level analyst thing for 2 yrs is not necessary. Although all of the big companies have wheel programs / internships. \n\nAre you aggressive? Do you mind working 6 dates  per week, often 12 - 15 hours? If working on a top team in a major market, you can expect those hours for 5 - 10 years. Debt and equity brokerage is also lucrative at cbre, jll, cushman and newmark. Office and retail are uncertain going forward. Message me if you want specifics. In summary, your background / college does not matter. Your skills, drive and presentation matter.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "isb19a9", "text": "IMO school is important in the sense that a lot of larger firms will want you to have a degree.  What it's in doesn't matter as much as having it.  \n\nThat said, you do want some grounding in finance and/or accounting.  \n\nBut at the end of the day, while some knowledge of numbers is necessary, personality and thriving on rejection is key.  You're going to hear \"no\" a hundred times for every yes.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "itto1sz", "text": "You seem like you have enough character for brokerage. Also your college or high school academics do not matter. Pickup the phone and start dialing brotha", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]