Also called: Mortgage Broker
Finds home buyers and helps them get a mortgage, often working on commission.
You take a call from a real estate agent with a new buyer, pull credit, quote a rate and race to lock it before rates rise.
Mostly commission; top originators earn $200k+ in busy years, while slow markets can cut income sharply.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. No degree required; must pass the NMLS SAFE exam and get licensed.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Finance, Real Estate.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Tracks loan officers; very sensitive to interest rates.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Online lenders and AI pre-approval cut the need for originators; referral-based salespeople who guide nervous first-time buyers hang on.
Age 18+. One way to start: Take the 20-hour NMLS pre-license course online, pass the SAFE exam, then apply to a lender as a junior loan officer First: NMLS 20-hour course, SAFE exam and state license (bank staff only need NMLS registration)
Classes: Personal finance, Speech, Business CTE class, Spanish.
Official data: O*NET occupation 13-2072.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.