What are the best ways to get Ahead?
I am a Freshman in college looking to pursue a career in CRE in the NJ/NYC Area. What are the best ways one get ahead and build up their resume?
What are groups one can join to put on their resume and network?
I plan on taking Financial Modeling courses online this Summer. Do those usually go on one’s resume or is that wasted space?
Thanks for your response. I’m aware it’s a pretty basic and broad question but I’m just looking for any resources that I haven’t been aware of
have you done any research like google?
Get a 4.0, that’s it
The best way to get ahead is to get a hand up. Largely different than a handout.
The best way to build up your resume is to do shit (hopefully something semi-interesting) and oversell the experience with creative writing on the line items.
join NAIOP in your area. The locals will help you
network and don't be scare to send cold messages on linkedin. if you're polite people will usually respond because they love to talk about themselves, reflect, and give back. ppl will also give you respect for reaching out. this is a requisite in life in everything you do imo. good luck and don't give up.
I love this question, taking small steps as a freshman can yield major advantages. The reality is that most college students, let alone freshmen, take much action beyond going to class, partying, etc. Then they wake up with graduation impending and say 'oh shit'. You can be miles ahead of the competition. Here is my advice, to a freshman interested in CRE..
Learn. This not to refer to your college coursework (I mean, do well get high grades, take relevant classes obviously). Read books, listen to podcasts, do online modeling training, maybe even go to seminars/conferences (time/cost can be prohibitive) if relevant. GlobeSt.com, WSJ, Bisnow, etc. Get to know them, read them, easy/cheap to do. Since you want the NJ/NYC area, focus on that set of news along with national.
Join industry organizations and network. Most major local/national cre orgs have very cheap student memberships. Join now and try to get active locally. The best are NAIOP and ULI (in my opinion), but ICSC has a great student program (you do not have to want to do retail for this to be relevant). Many others exist. Since you mention NJ/NYC (not sure if you are going to college in that region or just want to move there), you should look up YREPNY and MBAofNY (this one has a great college mentor program, and note, its not just 'mortgage bankers' its all CRE).
Get an 'internship' now. As freshman you are not inline for the 'good' ones, yet. I'm sure you will apply to the big SA programs, and you should. For now, even working for a small local broker, owner, or other no-name firm doing basic tasks is worthwhile. The local chapters of the groups above can help, so can a real estate club (if your school has one, or just reach out to alumni of your school in CRE via linkedin (I mean do this last one regardless).
Learn and follow stuff that is not strictly 'real estate and/or finance', I know that is broad, but one mistake college students can make is being too myopic. Read/study on other topics that interest you, this is to make you a more interesting person and thus creative. Fields that relate to CRE include, but not limited to art, architecture, gov't, public policy, law, economics, int'l relations, and anything related to cites and urban issues.
Don't be fully 'wed' to CRE. Yes, this runs against the grain, but dovetails with the last point. You are a freshman, you can change your mind, you can find other fields more interesting. Part of the reason I think an internship ASAP is good is it gives you a good check on your assumptions. Maybe you see that you really love it, great, move on. Or maybe you find you hate it, great, find something else, earlier you make this realization the better. (I wanted to be an engineer as a freshman, got an internship in the field, hated it, then discovered CRE... So trust me on this one).
How best to get “ahead” young Jedi? My opinion is seek situations and roles that you can go “beyond yourself” (look up 4 defining principles at Haas - UC Berkeley). Without ever reading that anywhere and finding it out myself, in undergrad, I transformed from just a regular student (often times, inconsiderate, who liked to party hard) to somewhat of an “activist” who liked to party hard and get good grades, who would be remembered. When I mean “activist” I mean someone who is going above and beyond to help others.
For example: I was in an undergrad major that didn’t have 5% of the career resources of the business school. I found out by the time students became a senior, their desire for career planning is the highest. Obviously, starting career planning earlier would have helped. Therefore I started a club for that. I went from someone who might have never ever in my 4 years stand up in front of a lecture hall, to making public announcements regularly. And it was to benefit my audience so I wasn’t my typical scared self.
You don’t have to be a “founder” but it helps to get in on building organizations and leading with purpose.
You’re at a pivotal moment. Entering university. That’s a community. Find ways to make the place (or other people) better than you found it/them. You will be measured on your impact - in life. Yes, go ahead, put it on your resume : )
Networking and internships.
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