How I got started in Real Estate ...

Every weekday for almost 2 years I would wake up at 4:45 am and take the shuttle from San Francisco down to Menlo Park.

I hated it SO MUCH ...
What I hated about my work was reporting to a manager, working on things I didn't care about, not having freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted, and a sense that I was still a child who had to ask for things like taking a day off. That's not how I wanted to live my life.
On the 1-hour commute down the 101 I would listen to podcasts, read books, or blogs about entrepreneurs, business ideas, and different ways to make money.

It was all an effort to become inspired or find the right idea.
During these 2 years, on my nights & weekends (and also during my working hours) I looked into other careers, opportunities, and ideas. I tried to learn how to code, become a Product Manager, Flip land from distressed owners, Social Media Marketing, and even starting a daycare.
I even worked in a Domino's to see if I could run a franchise. I lasted 1 day and was the worst pizza-maker ever. I couldn't even take orders over the phone -- being able to select the right things on the screen while talking at the same time is multi-tasking skill I don't have.
I should mention at this point that the company I was working at the time was FB. I really hated it. Because of everything I said earlier and I felt like a tracked career was a prison I had locked myself in.
The "status" of working at FB > Working at FB. My parents loved telling their friends.

The look of approval from an Indian Auntie is comical if you work at (insert big company name here)

Lesson: Fuck Status. Just worry about what makes YOU happy, not what impresses others.
Side note: I also understand how privileged I am to even have worked there and how many ppl reading this feel no sympathy for me (You shouldn't).

But one's misery is all relative.
Back to the story:

I still remember the day I left FB. The HR team announced that we were ranked as the #1 place to work. Everyone celebrated.

I realized if we were #1 then there's no way I could work anywhere else. I decided right then and there that I was quitting.
My last exploration of careers was Real Estate Investing (not the land flipping). It seemed to be 1 area I really liked and that I might have a unique ability to excel.

I reached out to a lot of ppl. I connected with someone who's life, work, and personality I admired.
Through persuasion and showing him I could do good work, he took me under his wing and began teaching me -- it was sort of a mini apprenticeship.

Side note: 1 way I convinced him was I underwrote over 100 deals in 30 days. I proved to him my underwriting ability & hustle.
I began taking as many things off his plate as I could. Underwriting, Project Management, Setting up meetings, taking notes, etc. I said "yes" to everything.

I was paid $0 for all of this work but I didn't care. It was probably the most valuable work experience I've ever had.
After some time, I had to break the barrier to move on to my next phase of growth. I found partners I liked and had done deals with. We formed a company.

This was crucial -- You'll stay stuck if you don't deliberately push yourself to grow. (h/t to Mastery by Robert Greene)
From there, the rest is history.

Act 1 is confusion & no clear direction, coupled with a small amount of hope and optimism.

Act 2 is experimentation and trying lots of things that may be interesting.

Act 3, you ultimately find a path that you can go down and flourish.
For anyone who is in Act 1 or 2, just know it gets better.

Don't give up --> Keep pushing through --> Persevere.

You'll look back on this time as the period of your life that made you tough as hell, resilient, and confident that you can do anything if you focus & push through.
You can follow @RohunJauhar.
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