This summer, millions of students are turning their tassels and heading into an uncertain job market. Aside from looking into the crowded fields of big tech and Wall Street, Gen Zers may have luck getting into real estate. Against all odds, the stubborn housing market has become a hotspot for young talent.
In April, LinkedIn ranked real estate as the second fastest-growing sector for new grads over the last three years, spanning those who recently completed their high school diploma, associate’s degree, bachelor’s, or apprenticeship. Real estate is only topped by popular industries like technology, information, and media, but still ranks higher than others like financial services, utilities, and construction. The jobs platform also identified new home sales specialists as the third fastest-growing role in the United States, according to a different 2026 report.
Kory Kantenga, head of economics, Americas at LinkedIn, tells Fortune that the real estate industry is particularly fruitful for early-career workers. While other employers are pulling back on junior-level hiring, real estate firms are continuing to invest in business functions that lead to tangible growth. And as the sector touches everything from home transactions to development to housing, there are more early-career avenues tied to “housing demand, commercial growth, and infrastructure expansion.” Pursuing a real estate job may raise questions in the current housing market, but LinkedIn found the industry has “endured” despite rising economic uncertainty.
“Companies are concentrating hiring in areas tied directly to growth and revenue, which real estate supports across all sectors of the economy,” Kantenga explains. “Commercial real estate development, infrastructure investment, and housing are still driving hiring, even in a low momentum labor market.”
Real estate is also perfect for the fresh-faced graduates switching up employment strategies in an ever-changing job market. Kantenga points out that young professionals are looking for “less linear” gigs, including freelance work, contract opportunities, service jobs, and side-hustles. Real estate offers that work flexibility, the economist says; plus, the industry is showing early signs of resilience against AI disruption. It’s a profession rooted in “uniquely human strengths” like networking and relationship-building.
“Young professionals finding success right now are often the ones staying flexible and open to nontraditional paths,” Kantenga explains. “Real estate’s continued rise reflects that broader shift in how careers are starting today.”
A Gen Zer made $75K his first year as a real estate agent
There are a whole plethora of avenues to take in real estate: mortgage lending, property management, and housing development. But becoming a real estate agent may be one of the best early-career paths to break into the industry. The barrier to entry is low—with no college degree required—and can even quickly lead to six-figure success with the right work ethic.
Fernando “Fernie” Rodriguez first became a real estate agent for Douglas Elliman Real Estate, right after graduating from Florida State University in 2020. The 28-year-old had studied economics in college, with some adjacent experience from working summers at his father’s car dealership, but knew nothing of selling houses. However, one mentor saw his potential, and decided to take a chance on the young graduate. Rodriguez sacrificed around $300 and three months of his time to get his Florida real estate license, paying another sign-on fee to join the brokerage. Then he hit the ground running.
The Gen Zer started his career selling luxury homes and properties in South Miami as part of the company’s Solis Chirino group. In his first deal, a duplex rental for $2,400 a month, he earned $400 in commission and felt like “the richest man on the planet.” The rush was insatiable; Rodriguez began cold-calling, door-knocking, and attending industry events to build more momentum. And steadily his net worth started to climb as he earned more and more in commissions. By the end of his first year, he reeled in $75,000—thousands of dollars higher than the national average of around $64,000—despite not receiving a formal salary or benefits from his employer
“Things started becoming a snowball effect,” Rodriguez tells Fortune. “Year after year, I made more than the year before, and then when I reached my five-year mark, I had that itch of, ‘I think I’m ready for more.’”
Last September, he made the jump to Douglas Elliman’s Eklund|Gomes Team: one of the company’s premier residential real estate groups, boasting an annual average of over $4 billion in deals across more than a dozen cities. And as bigger opportunities hit his desk, the Gen Zer has only seen his income grow. Now, he’s flipping through property deals as large as $7.65 million like “it’s pancakes,” Rodriguez says.
However, the real estate agent cautions that his real estate come-up wasn’t an overnight success—and not everyone is cut out for the challenge.
It takes consistent effort and sacrifice to make it in real estate
In many ways, real estate is a great career match for many Gen Zers. Becoming an agent comes with flexible schedules, entrepreneurial freedom, and the potential to grow income quickly. But to succeed in the profession, Rodriguez says prospective real estate agents need to be ready to grind and embrace the uncertainty. There’s no fixed salary to fall back on.
“It’s a high-risk, high-reward business,” the Florida-based agent explains. “I know many people that get their license, and a couple months later they’re serving me a drink at a bar. I’m like, ‘What happened?’ They’re like, ‘Oh, I wasn’t cut out for it. It wasn’t what I expected.’ It’s not for everybody. You need to be a good person, work hard, and be consistent.”
Rodriguez warns that the profession isn’t a get-rich-quick fix. When he first started off, he had to be extremely frugal to make ends meet with his commission-based earnings. But to really break through, he had to devote nearly all of his effort into building his portfolio. That meant knocking on doors, cold-calling potential sellers, and stretching his hours to serve clients in different time zones. And even when the paychecks have ticked up, he says it’s best to reinvest back into yourself as an agent; Rodriguez always funnels part of his income into advertising and marketing his business.
Another way to climb the ladder is by reaching for a helping hand, Rodriguez advises. Learning from seasoned real estate agents is the fastest way to learn the ropes. Because beyond knowing the technicality to sell a property, strengthening skills like persuasion and relationship-building is essential to close multimillion-dollar houses.
“The number one thing that anybody should do getting into this industry is find a mentor,” the Gen Zer says. “Soak up everything they do like a sponge, from the languages, to the terms, to the deals, to the psychology behind it. Because real estate is honestly 99% psychology.”
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