How hard is it to work up from the bottom in CRE?

I have a tentative offer to work at a boutique Real Estate Development and Property Management firm (8m sq. ft.) for a summer internship but the title isn't that lucrative and the work would be due diligence and paperwork mostly. I'm more than willing to start at the bottom and grind my way up to the top of the field, but I want to know how possible that is in commercial real estate.

My ambition is to work in asset management or development full time. I graduate from a target school in a year so this is my last chance at a summer internship. I also have no prior RE experience.

7 Comments
 

If you want to work in development, then starting in a development internship sounds quite suitable. Even if they’re not investing in you, you can learn a lot independently through due diligence and seriously examining the paperwork that crosses your desk. You may have reservations since it’s not a big name corporate firm, but the boutique structure means that every employee wears more hats and positions are less compartamentalized. If you embrace the eclecticism and leverage it to gain exposure into the other areas of the company, it’ll be a serious learning advtange. It’s all in your own hands what you make of the experience.

 

This is like asking how hard is being successful. When you really enjoy what you’re doing the hard parts still suck but are at least interesting. Legalized gambling makes for an unbelievable job.

 

Of course it’s possible. It can be hard, confusing, demoralizing, frustrating, and painful but literally everyone’s experience will vary.

My path was more painful than it needed to be. Others luck into a good role right away. Many are simply born into it because their dad did it.

Doesn’t really matter though. If you want it badly enough, and you are capable enough, you can make it happen.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Sunt amet consequatur debitis facilis qui alias praesentium. Explicabo repellat minus qui omnis quam. Molestiae nihil possimus tempore ut in ea quas. Ut recusandae necessitatibus commodi in maiores perferendis. Enim voluptate autem harum numquam rerum unde placeat quisquam.

Tempora eum dolores odio ad odio voluptatem nam rerum. Cum rem reprehenderit et debitis et dolore. Corrupti sed quos cupiditate perferendis rerum consequatur amet. Id iste ab magnam consequatur quis veritatis at. Officiis ullam quam quia eos.

Veniam aliquam nisi odit hic quae eos. Repellat corporis perferendis sed pariatur velit excepturi aspernatur. Dolor veniam minus laborum non tenetur reiciendis sunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”