College Football Navigating Real Estate Post-Grad.
I played college football at a pac12 school and it was my only job throughout my 4 years. I didn't think of anything else besides football, football, and drinking tequila. I did my undergrad in 3 years so that I could get 1 year of my master's paid for (Real Estate Development) which I am currently in. Now that my football career is over, I feel that I am playing catch up with the rest of the people getting into the industry in an analyst/associate role. I just completed a 6-month internship with an institutional lender as an underwriter intern, and I have lined up a summer analyst position at a real estate private equity firm in their debt strategies vertical. These will probably be the only two experiences I'll have coming out of my MRED program looking for analyst/associate roles.
So two questions I'm getting at 1) will I be pigeonholing myself to the debt side of the industry with my experience? (I eventually want to work for a developer but I wanted the finance background first) 2) Are two internships + a master's enough for finding an analyst/associate role when I graduate?
I'd say that that's more than enough.
You will be more than fine w/ experience as an athlete + 2 internships and an MRED.
Similar college experience as yourself and went pro for a few years post college as well. Felt like I was massively behind the curve when I was finally getting into the RE world. My experience was that there will be employers who flat out reject you because of your resume and others will see the value that you bring to the table. Some people like hiring former athletes and some people avoid it. Ultimately, I found that I was better suited working for a boss who understood and could talk sports. When looking for a job, it has to be a mutual fit for both you and the company. If you can't stand being around your coworkers or teammates, how long are you going to last at that role?
You are definitely not pigeonholing yourself with your first job either. It's a foot in the door that could either turn into your career or be used as a stepping stone to the next job. You're going to be working for 30 plus years. The first couple of years will not pigeonhole you.
Thanks for taking the time to reply and giving me some insights into your background. Definitely agree that it has been an easier transition to make small talk about playing college ball to break down some barriers when working with a team.
What is with this forum's obsession with the fear of being "stuck on the debt side"? I know this is probably coming from people with little to no real experience but wow it's a very common concern. Plenty of super coveted debt roles that receive thousands of resumes each time they have an opening. I never understood this mentality.
To answer your question. I don't think you are super competitive but you have enough experience to get a good role in today's market. Hit the networking hard and don't be surprised if analysts give you shit. You are pretty much the epitome of an MBA Associate.
How does one who played a sport during college and couldn't really work and is trying to break into an industry, the epitome of an MBA associate?
Because your an Associate with no FT experiance
Went through an MSRE program and saw my fair share of undergrads who went straight into the program. Titles of course vary shop to shop, but you are going to be applying / competitive in mostly analyst roles. Your experience is fine for these roles and should get you some optionality (even in this market).
I actually think your football background is a strong suit and something you can leverage… an old CRE brokerage I worked at had 2-3 Pac-12 football players in it and they made it a point to hire or at least help out those with similar backgrounds. See if you have any alumni (my guess is you will be surprised at how many work in the industry) and connect with them first. Other football players / athletes I am sure would be happy to help you as well and I would make it a point to network with these individuals.
It's good to hear that! Thanks for sharing.
I think you have plenty good of a resume to get a good gig, I wouldn't stress. Keep your head down during the program, network like a mad man and I can guarantee you'll get a solid opportunity lined up.
If you are at USC, you will be fine. Friend of mine (former football player) was in a similar position last year after receiving his MSRED. I can PM you if you go there.
You should cold email any and every former athlete, both football and other, to network, talk about their career and firm etc. Such an easy connection most ppl won’t have access to, use it. RE has some structured analyst programs but a lot of jobs come up through who do you know, especially in development
First off, I will give you the reassurance that you want and say that you are going to be fine. Real Estate is playing the long game, unless you come from or have access to wealth you are probably going to be doing this for a long time, if you wanted to get rich quick you would have worked in tech (joking). As such, you survive and move ahead in this industry based on the connections you have and the skills that you develop. Work on those two things and you will go far. There are plenty of former athletes as well as football players in real estate and they will understand your background and the grind you went through in school and sport. Dont worry about pigeonholing yourself this early on, you are allowed to move around in your career, you are still young and figuring things out. Best of luck bro.
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