Despite dropping out of college at 39, this individual now runs a successful business generating $500,000 annually—her story.

The Ditching the Degree series by CNBC Make It features women who have achieved six-figure careers without a bachelor's degree and share their success secrets. If you have a story to share, email us at [email protected].

Justine Parker made her career decision based on a sign she saw in a coffee shop window.

An ad advertised an in-person real estate course for $2,000 and a four-month commitment, promising that anyone could earn over $100,000 annually.

At 24, Parker was more focused on becoming a licensed professional rather than earning six figures.

She departed from the University of Georgia in her first semester at the age of 19, following her pregnancy, and subsequently experienced a sense of disconnection and exhaustion during her early 20s as she adapted to her new identity as a working mother.

Parker, 39, explains to CNBC Make It that since she didn't finish college and going back with a young child seemed impossible, she thought taking classes and earning a license would provide a similar sense of accomplishment and help her move her career forward.

On Dec. 31, 2009, she received her Georgia real estate license after signing up for classes that afternoon.

In 2023, Toes N Sand Properties, a rental management company in Orange Beach, Alabama, generated about $500,000 in revenue, as reported in financial documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Last year, Parker earned $200,000 after deducting business expenses and taxes from her work as a real estate broker.

Building a career on three jobs and 'two hours of sleep'

Parker quit school and began working full-time as a telemarketer in Atlanta after discovering she was pregnant in order to accumulate funds for her first child.

Stephen, her high school sweetheart and now-husband, chose to forgo college and instead work as a sandwich shop employee and telemarketer to support their expanding family.

Parker gave birth to their second son, Nathan, 17 months after delivering their first son, Brandon, in August 2004.

To help cover her family's bills after Nathan was born, Parker left telemarketing and took on three part-time jobs: pet-sitting, substitute teaching, and bartending. These gigs provided the most flexible schedules, allowing Parker and her husband to share child-care responsibilities.

She began attending real estate classes after Nathan turned 4 and her children were in school full-time. She attended classes Monday through Wednesday during the school day and worked the late shift bartending Thursday through Sunday.

"It was chaos, but I loved it," Parker says.

Parker would spend her weekends studying for the Georgia real estate exam during the afternoons and socializing at the bar from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. after closing.

""I'd get two hours of sleep before my kids woke me up at 6 a.m. on some nights, but I didn't mind because I loved spending those weekend mornings with them," she says."

To become a real estate agent, one must typically complete a prelicensing course, pass an exam, undergo a background check, and find a sponsoring brokerage before submitting a license application. Parker spent $2,000 to obtain her license.

After obtaining her real estate license, Parker immediately began working full-time as a real estate agent, supporting Barry Britt in foreclosure listings, while also sourcing her own listings on Craigslist and through friends of friends as an independent agent.

By 2014, Parker's income as a real estate agent had doubled from $50,000 in her first year to $100,000.

Running a six-figure business

The Parkers relocated from Atlanta to Orange Beach, Alabama, a coastal city in the state, in 2017 to be near their kin and the sea.

Parker obtained a real estate license in Alabama after completing a 6-hour course and passing the state exam, thanks to Georgia's reciprocity agreement with the state.

To gain insight into the local real estate and hospitality market and connect with potential clients, she spent her initial three years in Orange Beach working in various jobs.

Cyndi Cook, a woman Parker met while bartending part time at a restaurant in town, would change the course of her career.

Toes n Sand Properties, a Gulf Coast vacation rental management company owned by Cook, also included Heritage Motor Coach Resort and Marina, a waterfront RV resort with 42 rentals in Orange Beach. This business would eventually be taken over by Parker.

In January 2020, Parker was appointed as an agent and property manager at Toes n Sand.

After Cook's sudden death, Parker became the new owner of the business. The transition was challenging, with many sleepless nights, finding the right support, making mistakes, and learning from them. Parker, who was the lone employee at the time, recalls the difficulties.

Parker has grown Toes N Sand from a $200,000 business to a $500,000 business by managing more vacation rentals in and around Orange Beach with the help of two real estate agents and an office manager.

Parker has gained more confidence and patience through her work in real estate, and the most valuable lesson she's learned is to trust herself.

"At 18, I got pregnant and thought my life was over, but I trusted my instincts, pursued a career I loved, and now help others achieve their dreams and financial goals."

I didn't have to go into $100,000 of debt for a degree to make it here.

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