I was excited to spend the day at LACES(Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies) last month in support of Career Day. I was not only impressed with the campus itself but for the enthusiastic response to this annual event. For those unfamiliar with the school, LACES is a highly academic magnet just east of Robertson that serves 6th-12th grades. Originally, before Palms Middle School was created, LACES was known as Louis Pasteur Junior High and was the alma mater of many of my relatives as well as thousands of other Los Angeles kids. I was joined by a host of other professionals to speak about their experiences in a variety of careers. Lawyers, doctors, plumbers, and artists all took a turn at the podium- even our lead officer Chris Baker was there to talk about being a police officer. I shared my trajectory that started with excelling in school before embarking in a variety of industries before becoming a real estate agent in my 30s. I told them the journey is as important as the destination and if I had enjoyed being a lawyer more, I might never have found myself in the career in which I’m thriving today. I shared the plusses and minuses of being in real state, namely that you don’t get a salary and if you don’t bring in business, you don’t get paid! However, while sometimes unstable, especially when the markets turn downward, being an entrepreneur and your own boss can ultimately be incredibly rewarding.  I hope I inspired a few of the LACES students to think about real estate as a future career and I was honored to be among such esteemed professionals also there to share a bit about what they do every day