Love What , Where and How You Learn On the leading edge of real estate management education in The Last Frontier By Terry Fields
LOVE WHAT YOU LEARN
When I grow up , I want to be a ( FILL IN THE BLANK ). Doctor , teacher , engineer , scientist , astronaut , or pilot would be expected . Real estate manager would not . I want to change that through vibrant , collaborative learning environments .
The Way Way Background
As a young child , I was always interested in building things – Legos , Lincoln Logs , forts . I was one of those kids that loved Monopoly in second grade and would play computer games like SimCity and RollerCoaster Tycoon for hours . I collected football cards , religiously cataloging , researching , and monitoring their changes in value . I would start odd jobs
to generate cash , and I excelled at selling candy bars , coupon books , and magazines for various fundraisers . Little did I know I was learning the lessons of supply and demand , scarcity , relationship selling , and investing .
Right before high school , my parents went through the process of designing and building a home . I loved looking at floor plans and renderings . I would meticulously design and draw out new plans on grid paper – a hobby I still enjoy . So as I looked forward to college , I thought architecture would be a good path to follow . In my junior and senior years of high school , I interned with an architecture firm , attended a college workshop for architecture , and ultimately was accepted into Ball State University ’ s College of Architecture and Planning . The only problem – I realized by the end of my senior year in high school that I did not want to be an architect . It was my business and entrepreneurial interests that I wanted to pursue . I attended Ball State University , but changed my path to pre-business . What I did not realize at the time was that I had selected one of only a few universities in the country that offered degree programs in real estate management . Exploring opportunities for a minor that paired well with my business degree , I stumbled across the Residential Property Management program . Thinking that it might be related to interesting topics like flipping houses and selling real estate , I decided to declare the minor . I soon realized my original assumptions were wrong , but also that I had stumbled into an area that truly integrated my passions for real estate and business .
The Hidden Side of Real Estate
Like my younger self , when most people think of careers in real estate , they think of development or HGTV . They think of people helping people buy and sell houses for commission or the speculative thrill of flipping properties . If those prospects do not sound like a good fit , they may write off the entire industry . But this is only a fraction of the opportunity that exists in this expansive field . There is a hidden side of the industry , a side where a wide variety of interests and disciplines are needed and welcome . All around us are buildings that serve the needs of families in search of a home , businesses in search of offices and storefronts , and manufacturers in search of warehouse , assembly , and distribution facilities . What many people do not recognize early in life is that ownership is not the only way people and companies gain rights to use real estate . For a variety of reasons , real estate is commonly leased or rented instead . And this isn ’ t only due to financial constraints ; many opt to rent or lease residential and commercial space because they value flexibility , convenience , and the freedom to pursue opportunities without being tethered to a specific location .
26 January 2018