I have a unique situation, which requires a little explanation:

I moved to this town after college (graduated last Dec.) to learn a business from a mentor who is very successful. The idea is to work in various positions within his company for a few years while learning as much as I can, and then start a business of my own. Entrepreneurship is a passion of mine.

Over this last summer I had an "internship" with a commercial real estate company, which is unrelated to the business I have previously mentioned. I like commercial real estate, and it is obvious that it is a passion of mine. I have my real estate license in this state, and working/investing in commercial real estate is an option for me.

My mentor is also very successful in his real estate investing endeavors. Originally I was faced with a huge dilemma: Work full time in the company & learn the business or work full time as a real estate agent & begin investing & building a real estate company. After much deliberation, I decided that building a successful company would benefit the most in the long-run, and told my mentor that I would like a position in his company. Now that I’m here, I can see the amount of opportunity in real estate, and have been very tenacious with getting my hands dirty in some real estate investments. Although I have not started work yet, my mentor asks, “Do you want to work in my company or do you want to do real estate investments with us?”

Now I am in question about which avenue would be best. Why can’t I have my cake & eat it, too? Why can’t I work in the company and do real estate on the side? Apparently, my mentor doesn’t think I could do both. So in order for him to be fully committed in me, I understand that I must commit myself fully to one or the other.

Income wise, the salaried position would be a high-paying job w/benefits that would provide money NOW (and I'm broke - coming out of college). As a real estate agent, you only make what you can generate yourself. I’d need to buy insurance, etc. There is no guarantee I’ll make anything. However, with the recent investment activity, I would have made more than triple my salary in 6 months.

What would you do?

Your mentor asks: "Do you want to work in my company or do you want to do real estate investments with us?” And you have stated: "Income wise, the salaried position would be a high-paying job w/benefits that would provide money NOW (and I'm broke - coming out of college). As a real estate agent, you only make what you can generate yourself. I'd need to buy insurance, etc. There is no guarantee I'll make anything." It sounds as though in the real estate investment business you may have to take an equity position such as a partnership, which means borrowing money as well as enjoying the fruits. The salaried position sounds wiser to me because you will be learning about the business and earning a good living. You can be making lots of contacts and improving your equity without much risk. Do it for a couple years and get experienced. Besides, I haven't heard anyone say the current real estate market has bottomed.