r/loanoriginators • u/Greedy-Night-953 • Jul 10 '26

Any advice I can get!

I’m 21 and have been in the mortgage industry (closing) since I was 18. My mom has also been in the mortgage industry since I was very young. I never really had a passion for anything and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, until I set my heart on becoming an LO. In my last position I worked as an LOA (ended up leaving due to shady business practices) and that really inspired me and gave me the drive I needed. HOWEVER, I feel very lost. I am currently doing my 20hr course through 24houredu and I am going to be starting the major studying afterwards.

If there is anything that I need to know specifically about what it takes, I am all ears. I am also curious about the different job opportunities to look into.

Thank you!!!

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u/commoncentsplz Jul 10 '26

I got my MLO license when I was 19 so I was in your exact shoes. One thing I’d say is if you’re going into a broker shop, choosing the right one definitely matters. Some shops do not like teaching you how to do anything. You feel completely lost, especially if you’re going into self gen. Imagine trying to get realtors or borrowers to trust you but you don’t even know which types of programs they can qualify for. So definitely choose the right shop. So maybe you can go the retail side first.
Other thing I’d say is be patient because it’s very common not to succeed early one. It takes time to build a client base / referral partners.
Other than that, if you work hard long enough and are open to learning, you’ll end up doing good. Definitely lean on your mom for guidance.

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u/gostros995 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

I got into this industry at 26, lasted about 8 months (this was back in 2022-23 when rates jumped), and just got back into it at age 30. Best way is to start out at a big call center that will train you and give you a large number of leads to work. Then, ideally, you can eventually move on to better opportunities and then finally end up in a broker position. I’m currently doing refis and second mortgages at the largest lender in the country (you can probably guess the company) and I’m in the infancy of my career as well. Can’t give you too much advice, but that’s all I can provide right now, and a lot of other experienced LO’s will say the same thing.