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Ask a seventeen-year-old what a real estate career is and they will describe a sales agent with a sign in a front yard. That is one job out of many, and it is not the best-paid one. The money in this industry is in the people who plan, build, inspect and run the buildings — and several of those roles are entered with a high school diploma.
Construction manager
$114,990
Architect
$99,280
Surveyor
$75,440
Building inspector
$74,690
Property manager
$69,990
Appraiser or assessor
$67,960
A real estate sales agent earns a median of $57,400 with 2% projected growth, entered with a high school diploma plus a state licence. It is a real career and some agents do very well. But it pays less than half what a construction manager makes, and the income is commission-driven and uneven early on. Our research suggests students pick this industry because of the agent role, when the agent role is the middle of the pay range rather than the top.
Maintenance and repair worker
$49,590
Landscaping and grounds worker
$40,080
Janitor or building cleaner
$36,840
These are the entry rungs, and they are where a lot of property managers and building inspectors started. Getting inside a property company or a facilities team at nineteen puts you next to the people who decide who gets trained next.
Start
Grounds work at $40,080, building cleaning at $36,840 or general maintenance at $49,590. No credential needed and you are inside the business.
Get licensed or certified
A state sales licence at $57,400, an appraisal licence at $67,960, or building inspection credentials at $74,690 — all reachable without a four-year degree.
Take responsibility
Property manager at $69,990 with a high school diploma, or surveying at $75,440 with a degree.
Top of the industry
Architect at $99,280, or construction manager at $114,990 and growing 9%.
Decide whether you want to sell buildings, design them, inspect them or run them — because those are four different educations and only one of them is what people picture. The property companies, builders, developers, facilities teams and colleges on CareerPathway.com post their entry roles, licensing programs and apprenticeships in one place, and they can switch hiring on and off as their needs change. Create a free profile and you can see which of the four doors is actually open right now.
What is the highest-paying job in real estate?
Construction managers at a median of $114,990 per year, growing 9% through 2035, followed by architects at $99,280. Both out-earn real estate sales agents by a wide margin.
Do you need a degree to work in real estate?
Not for several of the better-paying roles. Property managers at $69,990, building inspectors at $74,690 and sales agents at $57,400 are all typically entered with a high school diploma, with state licensing where required.
How much do real estate agents actually make?
The median is $57,400 per year with 2% projected growth through 2035. Because the work is commission-based, individual earnings vary widely and early years are usually the leanest.
What jobs in this industry are growing?
Construction management leads at 9% growth through 2035, then surveying at 6% and landscaping at 5%. Building inspection is projected to stay flat, so we show it as a wage figure rather than a demand story.
Pay and job outlook figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — 2025 median pay and 2025–2035 projections.