Where to go next in my career....HELP PLEASE!

I don't know how much I'll be able to help you out considering I won't graduate from college until next year, but I'll still offer what I can. The first thing I would look into would be doing internships in several fields so that you can see what direction you want to be headed. If you can, consider doing unpaid internships as well. This summer will be my third internship, this time with a public REIT and it will be my last internship before graduation. Second, networking will get you further than anything else that I have come across. Get really close with people who are successful and show them how hard you're willing to work so that they will give you a shot at responsibility.

 

The same thing happened to me for a while. I was a part time paid intern at the IT department on my college campus...I had only missed about 4 or 5 days in that 3 years. They had always talked about hiring me full time as staff, but they never got around to it, or gave some excuse like the budget doesn't allow it. The summer before I quit, i offered to work full time, and took on extra responsibility. I was far and away the smartest, and most hard-working employee they had. I picked up everybody else's slack. By the end of summer (around august) they said that they would hire me as full time staff, once school started up again in late September.

September came and went, and when I approached them about it in October, they said that they would be hiring 2 more interns instead to help with the workload that I had no problem keeping up with, and that they would continue to keep me as part-time. At that moment, I knew I had to quit. Since it was valuable work experience which I have little of, and they would be my only real references for future opportunities, i made up some BS excuse like focusing on school, and told them that i would finish that week [only 2 more days] and that was it. I couldn't get jerked around like that anymore. I'm pissed at myself for taking 3 years to realize it.

in short......quit. Though, that may not be the best thing to do until you have something else lined up. I quit in Oct. '07, and I STILL haven't found a job. Either it's too competitive out there right now, I suck at interviewing/networking [read: BS'ing], I don't have enough experience, or companies simply aren't/can't afford hiring at the moment with the economy in a slump.

or all of the above. It's so hard to convince people to give you a chance

 

A little devil's advocate here:

I don't know you, but based on what you say you're young, ambitious and I guess responsible and good at your job. It's possible that your company has no interest in your further advancement. The harsh reality is, many companies operate that way. Also, while it may seem as if you've been at this forever, you've only been out of college for 3 years--way too soon to be referring to this job as a career. It's been my experience that many of today's younger members of the workforce are too impatient to accept putting in their time, and have an over-inflated sense of self worth. What's funny is, I've discussed this with many friends of mine in all different business--from my kennel to partners in successful law firms, ad execs, traders--and we could all be talking about the same business since it's the same everywhere. Again, not knowing you I don't like to assume anything about you. But take an honest assessment of yourself, your company, the line of work you're in and the entire situation. The bottom line is, it will rest squarely on your shoulders to prove your worth, whether it's with the same company or with a different one. And any company you interview with will be certain to verify everything you have said about yourself, so be prepared to hear a different perspective of your tenure. Good luck.

 

As much as this might be a good stress reliever. I would strongly suggest giving a proper 2 weeks notice and being polite and gracious. They have, after all, helped you pay your bills for the last few years and also, more importantly, you never want to burn any bridges. You just never know when, where, or how...but there is a chance that you and your boss might cross paths again.

 

Don't waste your time trying to be a commerical real estate appraiser. I have my appraisal license and there is a large over supply of appriasers. I have gone from making $15,000 a month last Aug to $1,200 a month doing real estate appraisal work. I have gone back to doing art appraisals and running my guitar company. The market is dead and will not come back for another 3-5 years. The mortgage market is dead and will be for a while as more lending institutions eleminate they wholesale business.

What you are missing is that you need to build a network of people who you can help and can help you. No one cares about how many days you came in sick and how much over time you worked. Work on building a long term network. Work on your political skills they will get you farther than your attendence skills. Get a job in sales ,sales experience will help you in any job you get. They are always hiring sales people even in a bust.

 

Real estate appraising used to be a great profession and very profitable but like many other professions it is facing ruinous competion with the low barrier to entry. I do not know any other job with a high school degree that you can make $200,000 a year like you could doing real estate appraisals. (I have a masters degree in apprisal) Way too many people went into the field. In other downturns appraisers got a lot of the repo work but in most states now realtors have been doing repo reports for $35 where appraisers used to get $500-$600 a report. But in the last 2 years that goose has been cooked and the party is over.

 

saying you want to go into commercial real estate (CRE) doesn't give you focus. CRE is a huge field. I happen to be a commercial real estate developer, but there are any number of jobs in CRE in addition to mine. there is brokerage, leasing, tenant representation, property management, commercial lending, and so on. do you fancy office space, retail, industrial? all of these jobs are in CRE.

i think, like previous posters, you need to find an area (perhaps one of the ones i mentioned above?) that interests you or suits your personality and capitalize on your strengths. interning somewhere is not a bad idea. fortunately, i don't know the answer to this, but some brokerage firms may give you a shot because they're commission only.

there are gobs of firms in the houston area in all these areas and you're lucky because houston is in a lot better shape than other parts of the country right now.

good luck and i hope this helps.

 

Texas,

Keep in touch and let me know which direction you decide to head in. If you can't figure that out, let me know that too and I'll be glad to try to help in any way I can. I've been in this business for a while and it's a great business. Keep your head up and don't get discouraged. You're still young......very young and the first job you land in CRE probably won't be the one you keep for your career. In fact, I'd probably look at it as an introduction to other areas of CRE that may even interest you more.

You can pm me anytime.

Best regards,

BBS