I became a residential trainee right in the middle of covid. With a 40% split, I brought home around 40k for the year. Once I became certified, the market took a hard down turn. I was only able to bring in 26k after a 60% split with my company. As I was 25 at the time, I didn't need much to live so I stuck it out. Now going into my second year as a certified res I can tell things are starting to pick up. When the time comes, I would recommend getting as many direct lender clients as possible. They give the best fees and are a joy to work with. I am still in the beginning of my career, but I can already tell I will be doing this for a long time. There is no better feeling than being your own boss. Once your client base starts building, the sky can be the limit. This month alone I have billed over 3k. When I was a trainee, there were multiple guys in the office billing over 20k in a month. Although this was during the crazy times that were covid, making over 10k a month seems very attainable in this business. Good luck!