A-List Highlights: Jamie Tian

Jamie Tian

Jamie Tian is a member of NAR’s elite 30 Under 30 list. At the age of 28, Jamie has been a luxury expert working the competitive Beverly Hills and Los Angeles luxury markets for over seven years. With so much accomplishment early on in her career, it was surprising to discover that Jamie was initially planning on pursuing a career in law during her final year at UCLA.

As Jamie puts it, “I had a light course load during my last year at UCLA, and I had already submitted my applications and exams – so I decided to get my real estate license and make some money before graduating”.

Did you get that?

Jamie was a senior at UCLA, one of the most rigorous universities in the nation. During her senior year, she not only completed her capstone coursework – but also studied for and passed pre-law exams, got accepted into law school, and got her real estate license. It’s at this point in the story we should mention Jamie is not like many other millennials. In fact, Jamie comes from a traditional Chinese family that worked very hard in each of their fields. Coming from a family of engineers with PhDs helps us understand the absolutely unbelievable academic success Jamie has been able to demonstrate. And, however much law school seemed like the original plan, real estate soon became the focal point of Jamie’s life. In her senior year, Jamie was able to complete and receive her real estate license, and even close a listing before her graduation.

Although some look down on the profession and craft we esteem so highly, real estate is a passion for Jamie and so many other real estate professionals. But to those who are in the industry and devote so much of their time, energy, and passion to real estate, we all know this is not true.

Many of us have at one point experienced others looking down on the job title of the real estate agent with less-than-kind connotations. But to those who pursue real estate with ambition, like Jamie, real estate is a passion, devotion, craft, and lifestyle that rewards so highly and is deeply satisfying. Jamie’s aspirations for herself are high. Her journey has been successful, but also challenging, competitive, and at times gut-wrenching. When we asked Jamie why she decided to leave behind so much hard work to pursue real estate – a career with absolutely zero guarantees on success, she was candid with us about the importance of following your passions. “You only have one life, so make the most of it. Do what you are passionate about because it is hard to be happy when you aren’t doing something you love!"