Diploma in Urban Land Economics from UBC - Worthwhile?
I currently work in the public sector as a financial/data analyst. I'm looking to pivot my career into Commercial Real Estate, and was wondering whether this diploma is soemthing worth looking into (education options related to Real Estate in Canada are pretty limited)

For reference I've been out of school for 3 years now (target school in Canada)
[{"id": "hi5v4kp", "text": "Depends what you want to do I suppose. I went to UBC as well(not for ULI) and am now in brokerage. If brokerage is what you want then I\u2019d skip the diploma and just get licensed and learn from a senior broker. If you\u2019re looking to be an analyst for REPE or others then it may be worth it. Happy to answer questions since I\u2019m local to you.", "replies": [{"id": "hi5vgsl", "text": "As a side note, being in this industry in BC most of the people who have the ULE diploma are older brokers. I rarely see it for new brokers.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}, {"id": "hi6ck0y", "text": "Thanks for the response! I attended school over in Ontario (unfortunately there was no Real Estate courses offered)\n\nAt this rate I just want to get out of my current company and try something new, so I'd be open to brokerage (admittedly I'll have to do some research as to which area id want to target). The sales aspect of brokerage does scare me somewhat, as I haven't had an opportunity to build these skills. \n\nDid you start off in brokerage/a role in RE? My fear is I may have pigeonholed myself with my current role. Have you come across any brokers which switched careers from a different industry? \n\nI'll definitely look into the licensing requirements for Ontario.", "replies": [{"id": "hi6h0p6", "text": "I hopped right into brokerage. I did my degree in Economics so I considered career paths that were more analytical, but decided I'd rather apply the analysis skills to brokerage and learn the sales skills. \n\nIt can definitely be a bit daunting hopping right into brokerage, it's a tough game but the \"sales\" skills are fairly easy to pickup. It's much about networking and being willing to put yourself out there. Tons and tons of brokers came from other lines of work so no problem there. The only issue I've seen with people switching into brokerage is not setting appropriate expectations for themselves. As long as your realistic with your goals then I see absolutely no issues switching into it. A nice way to dip your toes into the industry can be to pursue an analyst role at a brokerage. In my market the larger firms typically pay somewhere around 40-50k per year for analysts. After a couple of years the best / those wanting are moved into a brokerage role and taken off salary and onto commission. If you want to hop straight into brokerage (like I did) then it's important to keep in mind that the paycheques will be few and far between for the first 1-2 years. That's where I've seen the most people fail, not being prepared for the steep learning curve to build your business. hope that helps.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hifh94n", "text": "Depends what you want to do. I have the DULE and I\u2019m a commercial appraiser. Worked in property tax as well as an agent and assessor. \n\nUBC is the leading institution for those two fields and valuing real estate. Seneca and Lakeland College also offer their courses in a diploma. University of Calgary does a real estate degree that is more development focused. \n\nBrokerages aren\u2019t the only careers in commercial real estate. Lots of career options out there.", "replies": [{"id": "hik2jlp", "text": "Thanks the response!\n\nI had an interview at Altus a few years back (didn't get the role unfortunately) for appraisal/valuations, I believe they encourage their employees to pursue the UBC certificates based on what I seen on LinkedIn.", "replies": [{"id": "hiky8xn", "text": "This is actually a requirement to have to be an appraiser in Canada (AIC). To be a candidate perusing either an AACI or CRA you need BUSI330 at minimum. The aic website has all the info you need to get started. Feel free to pm me if you have questions", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hijngcz", "text": "Would any real estate investment analyst who have completed this diploma say it was useful/necessary to complete? \n\nI am also considering enrolling in this program after I complete my BBA in Ontario.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]