Breaking into CRE with a non-finance background in Midwest

Hi!

I graduated a top 50 college in the Northeast and ended up moving to the Midwest (KC area). I've been working as a project manager for the past two years for a residential real estate investor and as a residential real estate agent but I want to break into commercial.

I'm not sure what to do. I was a biology major and graduated over 2 years ago. I got accepted into the Master's in real estate program at a local college and it starts in June if I want to begin. I've also applied to two internships (one at C&W) and I'm waiting to hear back. I've also taken some Excel modeling courses through Adventures in CRE.com to make myself more marketable.

I'm not really sure what to do/how to network/and what kind of jobs to focus on getting. Any advice would be appreciated :)

1 Comments
 

Ipsam quis inventore quis possimus. Impedit ullam ab dolor. Quia optio aliquid delectus ut error suscipit ipsum. Dolores modi et quo velit debitis commodi ratione.

Voluptas ducimus aut deleniti nisi. Qui ipsum incidunt est sint facere. Ut et debitis dolor eligendi blanditiis. Odio aliquam nam perspiciatis numquam mollitia. Culpa nostrum facere eaque ex magni. Occaecati sint ut voluptatem exercitationem. Dolor laborum impedit et aut voluptatem.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”