I'm getting started in the industry after finishing my MBA at SMU in May and I landed a FT gig with CBRE that will start in June 2018. Since I know there a ton of good Ags in the industry here in Dallas/Houston - I figured I'd reach out and see if any of you had any advice on other items that I should pursue to get ahead in the industry and/or close the gap knowledge wise. It's obviously one thing to speak the lingo, take classes, etc. - and what happens in the real world...so I'm happy to consider anything.

What I've been doing:
-Working for CBRE part time 25 hours a week...reading everything I can get my hands on as far as market studies go, thought leadership, etc.
-I will have passed my RE License & Argus Cert prior to starting FT 8
-I've been working in the data visualization tools that have taken the industry by storm such as Tableau, Power BI, etc.
-Reading NREI, DMN (Steve Brown), and a few others each night before bed to stay up on what's emerging in the industry
-Meeting with anyone I can from SMU that's in the industry because this is likely the last time that everyone will be willing to meet with me just to "talk about what they do" and how they do it

What I want to do long-term:
-I would love to be in development of sorts further down the line...whether that's Value-Add acquisition/disposition or ground up development
-I would love to start side gigs (even willing to not sleep and do it for free just to learn) with developer or individuals that have their own RE shops. (Family office, side hustles, whatever works)

Where I'd like help/advice
Do you CRE guys have any advice on other items I should be focused on in order to catch-up/continue to push towards my long-term plan (or at least what I think I want to do..strong convictions held loosely haha). I'm currently pushing 30 and am a career switcher from being a Manager in a Healthcare Consulting Practice (Revenue Cycle) - and have been working in the Healthcare RE group since May of 2018 as an intern. (Transaction Management on the Corp Real Estate outsourcing side of our business). Would love to diversify - and the things that make me tick the most are probably Multi-Family and Industrial - but I'm also pretty interested in the transformation that's taking place in Retail.

Any thoughts from the experts would be greatly appreciated! Gig 'Em!

Network as much as you can
Specialize in one thing (industrial, office, etc)
pick an area and become the expert in that area

Good luck !

(URL)https://aggierealestate.aggienetwork.com

Sounds like you have a good start. I also work in healthcare real estate. Are you wanting to move to another division within CBRE?

CBRE is a great place to work with a lot of opportunities. You just started there, so focus on doing well there.

1. Find a Mentor. Find a successful broker and offer to help all you can. You can make a lot of money as a young broker riding coattails of the big guys, and getting scraps from them. Plus, you will get great experience.

2. Being a broker boils down to one thing. Finding clients. Get out and network with non-real estate people who are potential clients. Remember, real estate is a long-term game. You may not see fruit from a new relationship for several years.

3. Pick a specialty, but don't get too specific. Markets change and you don't want to be on the short end of that stick.

4. Get to know other brokers in your market. It helps grease the wheels when negotiating or trying to get information.

Not necessarily...I have loved what I've been able to work on so far...just have ideas of what I'd like to do later down the line when I get experience. If staying at CBRE and continuing to learn and grow is what happens - I love the firm and would definitely not be opposed to that.

Just looking for advice from guys that have been there and done that!

is this group still active? The website shows them being pretty dormant as far as events.

Yes, the group is active. The two biggest activities are the annual conference which is usually mid to late July every year and rotates location of major cities working in College Station every few years and an annual tailgate with the MRE (Masters of Real Estate) students who host a tailgate every home game and AREN sponsors one every year.

The regional directiors https://aggierealestate.aggienetwork.com/board-of-directors/ are the ones responsible for setting up quarterly HHs and don't always make it on the website but they maintain their own distribution lists usually and blast out through the website if requested.

thanks for the heads up. I wasn't aware of the group. Just joined.

If you're interested in development the first step is to actually assist on some projects. You can read all you want, but nothing can teach what you learn on the job.

Meet as many people as possible. I would consider starting to attend the monthly CCIM luncheons. You don't have to have your CCIM to attend. I think they're $40-$50. Join TREC Young Guns.

That said the term the industry likes to use for new guys is "drinking from a fire hose," and you will be. That's what everyone does at first though. If you're interested in development put your head down and kill it at CBRE for a year, and then evaluate the contacts that you've made to see if there are any opportunities for you.