How Do I Leave CRE?

For those of us who have done the analyst and associate years, how do you recruit OUT of real estate? I am interested in corporate strategy/other high finance jobs such as AM/ER, (really any job that isn't real estate) but noone gives me looks.

I went to an unranked state school, got 2 years IB exp and then (sadly) got a RE development analyst gig. I moved to a top brokerage as a SR analyst and now im at a random ass operator near where I grew up making trash money doing nothing all day.

What the fuck do I do to get back into a finance job? I hope I can do it without a $100k MBA because $100k MBA>Still an employee? that shit isn't happening.

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Just tell me, man to man. It will hurt, but I will heal eventually. 

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Have you thought about recruiting for equity or debt roles at a MF? You would get paid the same as banking and other PE strategies. Plus, if it’s primarily an asset-level strategy would pick up a skillset and relationships that still gives you a pathway to go entrepreneurial if you’re talented. Ultimately, that’s what makes RE so appealing, you can bring in more $$$ than any other role in finance.

 
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Have you thought about recruiting for equity or debt roles at a MF? You would get paid the same as banking and other PE strategies. Plus, if it’s primarily an asset-level strategy would pick up a skillset and relationships that still gives you a pathway to go entrepreneurial if you’re talented. Ultimately, that’s what makes RE so appealing, you can bring in more $$$ than any other role in finance.

Entrepreneurship timing observation

One of the more fortunate career events in RE is getting laid off/fired in the middle of a boom market, meaning there are a few more years of strong market revenue growth after you start up and capital is still loose and cheap.


You can’t predict the future, so you luck into this situation because you’re forced to by becoming newly unemployed.  I’ve been unemployed three times for longer than 6 months in my CRE career (GFC, 2015 / 2016, and COVID era) and this is my observation. 
 

There is an optimal timing window for everything. You could wait for those conditions again and prepare your skillset and savings (and then get fired = get lucky).

Have compassion as well as ambition and you’ll go far in life. I am interested in digital immortality. Check out my blog at digitalimmortality.com
 

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