Pathway to becoming a Real Estate Development Manager
Hi all,

I'm a civil engineering junior in college and stumbled into real estate during the latter period of my sophomore year. Since then, I've become increasingly interested in real estate development. I've done a little research and asked around, and so far I believe that it's definitely possible to make the transition, but I'd like to hear some various ways I could break in from y'all. Your replies would be very much appreciated.
[{"id": "ifgkqtr", "text": "Walk up to a push door, and pull it as hard as you can for as long as it takes to open\u2026 that\u2019s what being a developer feels like\u2026 if after that you still want to, only one way exists.\n\nActually jumping into the fire. Tie up a site with enough time to figure it all out.\n\nOne can never be told what the matrix is, you have to experience it for yourself", "replies": [{"id": "ifhcdns", "text": "Thanks a lot for the advice, and yeah, I still very much want to get into real estate development. I really can't see myself backing out of that goal now.", "replies": [{"id": "ifhrvyz", "text": "Without knowing anything about you or your financial position here is what I would say\n\n1. Identity a site you think is great \n2. Come up with a napkin type plan , ( don\u2019t overdo it just yet.) very basic . I\u2019m buying for 500,000 , it will cost 100,000 to stabilize, I think i can get 60,000 a year net .\n3. Go after it. Act like you have done this before. Get it under contract and put up deposit. Make sure you get yourself as much inspection/ due diligence time as possible!! This is everything.\n4. During DD refine your plan, go to the money. \n\nIf you have a good eye, the site under control, and a halfway coherent plan that you can explain in under 1 minute, you can get the money to take it from there", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ifgs47n", "text": "There are so many facets of development to learn before one becomes a developer. Unless you have access to large sums of money and can jump right in to something now, my suggestion is to become a bank engineer and learn the ropes through first hand experience in lending. You will get to touch a lot of dead that way, make necessary connections and suss out what direction you\u2019d prefer to go in. Not gonna lie, it takes a long time to become fluent enough in most aspects of real estate development to go solo with confidence. Good luck!", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ifgutoi", "text": "&gt;Real Estate Development Manager\n\nIt's going to take you a while. No college degree is sufficient to land you a PM role. You're basically starting from square one as a development assistant or coordinator because there's an overwhelming amount to learn. You also need solid real estate finance skills. Join a development firm right out of college.", "replies": [{"id": "ifhr778", "text": "Civil engineering helps a lot.. get a minor in accounting or finance", "replies": [{"id": "ifidyi6", "text": "I vote finance.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "ifjfztl", "text": "Thanks a lot for the tip, but I would like to know if getting a minor in finance is advantageous in the eyes of a recruiter.", "replies": [{"id": "ifjgfl2", "text": "All you have to worry about is the hiring manager and what they prefer. Recruiters get told what to look for on a resume/ applicant. I\u2019d also recommend reaching out to developers for internships. that\u2019s a good way to get in the door as a college student. Add people on LinkedIn with a personal message expressing your interest in the industry, check your alumni &amp; reach out to anyone at a development company who went to your school asking to pick their brain aka an informational interview.", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "ifjdha7", "text": " Just did a quick search and found a coordinator position that was open to engineers. Thanks a lot. Also, what do you think of A.CRE", "replies": [{"id": "ifjfup1", "text": "I really like A.CRE. Use all the free resources that may be available. The paid accelerator is pricey but I also used that to stay fresh.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "ifkcw1h", "text": "I would recommend looking at A.CRE and their construction draw training and other development modules. Knowing how much you\u2019re going to need and when it\u2019s going to be spent is a huge part of being a good development manager. I\u2019d suggest having an above average knowledge of excel.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ifgyedm", "text": "You could go the construction route - project engineer at a large GC, make it to PM, then jump to owner side.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ifh45vf", "text": "I did this same route. Undergrad was civil engineering for me. I worked in construction management for a very large GC for 8 years after college. I ultimately ended up moving over to one of my developer clients with whom I made the relationship while working in construction management. Relationships are everything and you have to treat every hour of every day with your clients as a job interview. I didn\u2019t even interview when it came time to move over, it was a 3 minute conversation. My then-client, now-boss already saw me as an extension of him and it made sense for everyone for me to come work for him.", "replies": [{"id": "ifju0mq", "text": "Thanks a lot for your advice, it's really nice to talk to someone who's gone through this transition, would you mind if I send you a DM", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ifhz9ar", "text": "It's going to be hard to land a DM role straight out of college. We would typically hire folks with one of four backgrounds (ordered by preference): construction, analyst (brokerage, lender, PE, etc), civil/structural engineer or architect. The issue with hiring someone straight out of school is that they don't know shit. But of the groups listed above the AEC folks with 5 years of experience can read a set of plans, know how things actually get built and have general construction and design knowledge. The analyst folks have strong excel modeling skills and are familiar with financial metrics, budgets and cash flows. You can teach the other missing skills but it's hard to teach it all from scratch.\n\nMy advice to you would be to brush up on your excel skills in your final two years of college. Every time you see a cool project going up in your city, find out who the developer is and call/email them and tell them you think their project is really cool and you'd like to tour it or have them talk to you about it. Most folks generally make time for college kids that have an eagerness to learn and we all have egos and love to show off our projects. You might find an opportunity by doing that.\n\nSecond to that, I'd take your civil degree and go get a project engineer/APM role at a GC. Learn the industry and network like crazy (ULI, NAIOP, ICSC and others depending on your location). After a couple of years of work you would be an excellent candidate for a junior DM role. Or you could also get an MBA/MRED at that point which would also open the door into DM roles. Good luck!", "replies": [{"id": "ifjpxwr", "text": "Thank you so much for all this advice and tips, PE/APM &gt; MBA/PM &gt; DM was indeed my original plan, but I wasn't sure if it was one that has a good possibility of working, so thanks for raising my confidence in that process.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ifi557o", "text": "My path into development:\n\ngraduated college with a degree in marketing.\nWorked in retail, medical sales, recruiting, restaurant management.\nFound a medium sized commercial brokerage firm that gave me $25k for the first year based on my sales experience. Worked a second job while I got my license and learned the business.\nNetworked and hustled my ass off for 5 years while taking classes in a real estate development masters program.\nFound a non profit affordable housing group (thanks to my networking communities) that took me in with my limited experience and education. \n\nI didntt have the guts to jump in to the deep end the way most people got their start. Hope my path helps you in some way.", "replies": [{"id": "ifjlm4l", "text": "Thanks a lot for sharing this, it really gives me a grand outlook on the different pathways to this goal. Wishing you continued success in your path forward.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ifiro22", "text": "Take a look on LinkedIn at the construction managers at Hines/Greystar/Related backgrounds should point you in the right direction.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]