Residential sales is often the best sector for new agents. Much depends on your education and work experience.

Douglas, For me experience is what helped me decide and the fact that my broker provides awesome buyer leads. My first year I couldn't decide but 25 transaction later, I had experienced a varitey of different transactions. I realized that I liked working with first time home buyers and buyers relocating.

I wish someone would have offered the following advice. Since CE is required I recommend spending a little more and taking a certificate and/or designation course which can be applied towards your CE, you get great tools as well and have a credential. Win Win

Having family already in residential and owning a brokerage.

Start out in residential...homes

My Forestry Degree gives me an edge.

Douglas Israelsen I started out in residential real estate. After a couple of years I got interested in commercial real estate and made it a full time transition.

It depends.  What interests you?  What is your passion? 

Where ever it is that you start out be sure you are headed to where your heart is, seek your passion.

Practice.

 Talk to a few brokers ask about training, commission and their insurance coverage.  Most brokerages will not allow you to do rental, commercial, business opportunites.  

Commercial needs special credentials, most have mba etc harder to crack into. Put an offer to a SAT school the listing agent says I will not be compensated since I am not a member of xxx Association-never heard of it.

you need to have exposure to all of it, and you will then be able to answer that question for yourself.... mine was land and new construction....

My advice is to be in for a while and see what you like...what feels best before getting any more education in any one area...or get education in more than one area and see what "likes you"...best wishes !

Well, we live in a house, so...

It was an easy decision for me to focus on luxury.  I had spent the last 12 years working with First time home buyers and DPAs and it was time for a new challenge. 

The one that creates passion is a good start to narrow it down. If you don't know your passionate self, start with trial & error. Look for the comfy fit

The types of properties and the types of clients.

Now someone is asking an important question.

Douglas, congrats on realizing and resisting the idea you will show up at the brokers office and ask "Now what?"

You are absolutely correct in realizing there is more to know otherwise you will MOST CERTAINLY become a victim of the FAILURE SYSTEM that has doomed newbies for decades and enriched the real estate industry.

Will I give you the answer in a Q & A? Of course not. There's more to it than that. Preview my book about this topic on LuLu.com (you can read the first 10 pages) and if this appears to be what you need, let me know. If you can not figure out how to find the book on LuLu, understand there are bigger problems to solve.

The others have answered the question.

You will discover this in good time Grasshopper.

Residential is the easiest for entry level realtors.

I suggest residential for beginners. 

If you decide to specialize, there are many areas to specialize in.  It may depend upon your interests, the types and quantity of property in your area, your background and more.

do what you love.  Residential is about helping families for the most part.  Commercial is about working for businesses.