Despite having a full-time career in IT, Deanna Riley always longed to have her own business.

While her job as a program manager and product owner at a Fortune 100 technology company is in high demand, she wanted a safety net in case industry shifts affected her job stability.

Riley found a side-hustle solution in real estate.

"After working in the IT field for years and witnessing the field's instability, it was important for me to receive my real estate license," she said.

Riley's personal experience building her home sparked her interest in studying real estate. Her early attempts were met with challenges in the years before the pandemic. After taking a step back, she returned with renewed focus in 2024 and enrolled in Wake Tech's non-degree Real Estate Provisional Broker course.

She was familiar with the college because she had taken a summer class at Wake Tech during her undergraduate years, and her positive experience stayed with her.

Riley says the online real estate course allowed her to work her full-time job while learning the principles and laws of real estate. During the course, she prepared for the North Carolina Real Estate Commission exam and also built a powerful network of like-minded women in real estate.

Riley credits much of her success to her instructor, Lora Alexander, whose engaging and insightful teaching style left a lasting impression.

"This course changed my life," she said. "Wake Tech has some of the best instructors I've ever had – hands down."

Today, Riley is a licensed North Carolina provisional broker with Real Brokerage. She continues to balance both careers in IT and real estate and plans to enroll in post-licensing courses to become a full real estate broker.

Riley said completing the real estate course has opened new doors of opportunity.

"Because of Wake Tech's non-degree program, I am now licensed to assist clients with real estate in North Carolina," she said. "This was my stepping stone to achieving financial freedom and becoming an entrepreneur. Wake Tech feels like family now. I truly feel empowered to accomplish my goals."