Soon to be college graduate, looking for advice on how to land development position in NYC
Hi,

A little background:

I'm just about to graduate college, have a past internship in real estate but my major is not related to real estate. I try to keep up by reading different forums, books, and looking at CRE models when I get the chance (but haven't got the chance to look at many). I also joined the real estate club in the business school to learn more about real estate in general and got my real estate license for my state as a resume builder.

I'm interested in real estate development and would like to work in New York City. From what I understand and have experienced, it's very hard to land a position at a development company out of school. I'm looking at companies to apply to right now, but want something else to add to my resume to stand out. I understand that a lot of people interested in development out of school go in as a broker in either residential or commercial RE then move into development later. I would prefer not to do that. 

So are there any books/sources I should check out that would help me concerning financial modeling and general understanding of large residential/commercial real estate buildings. Also is there anything I can do or read to put on my resume that would make me stand out due to the fact I feel I'm behind because my major is not related to real estate. I've read books such as Donald Trump's "Art of the Deal", "The Real Estate Game" by William Poorvu, "Alex Spanos Sharing the Wealth: My Story", currently starting the "Intelligent Investor". Also listen to videos on the Stoler Report just to get industry talk/conversation. Any other ideas? 

Any advice is welcome. Thanks.
[{"id": "dz5chy5", "text": "If you want to get into development and not be a broker first you either need to come from a family with money or be really good family friends with a developer.  That, or be really smart and dedicated and also offer to just assist with whatever for free for a year just learning the business.  Regardless of your education you don't know shit and could add no value whatsoever to any successful developer right now.  If you don't want to be a broker, it sounds like you're not motivated enough to learn your trade.  Unless you have a bunch of money and some developer agrees to let you \"play\" developer with him then you're going to have to actually learn the business somewhere well enough to do what you want.", "replies": [{"id": "dz5g31u", "text": "I agree with the part about me not being able to add value. I've thought about offering to work for free for 6 months or a year in order to learn the business and show my work ethic but I also feel this might come off as desperate in some situations, what are your thoughts? I'm not against going this route though, but this is part of what I think when that option comes to mind. It seems more like the option if I want to work and learn from a certain developer though. \n\nI don't agree with your comment about me not wanting to be a broker means I'm not motivated enough. I think it's a good avenue to learn the ins and outs of the industry. I think it's also a good place to build relationships and seems like another way I could break into the industry and learn enough to be worthwhile to hire by a developer. I would prefer spending time shadowing or working for free at a smaller developer than start somewhere I'm not really interested in. I understand what you're saying though, that this may be a unrealistic expectation, especially in New York City.", "replies": [{"id": "dz5i8gw", "text": "Real estate is a relationship business. I assume this is true in New York as well. I would see what companies you want to work at, then see what networking events these companies have. \n\nThe people I know who went into working for a developer all worked at brokerages, since developers tend to work with brokers, and understanding brokers is key to a lot of things. If you just want to be an argus monkey or some junior analyst, well, apply for entry level positions, internships ect. Talk to your professors and see if they know anyone who is hiring.\n\nWhat was your past internship? And your field does not have to be real estate related for the most part. People just kinda fall into this business from who knows where. ", "replies": [{"id": "dz5tsvp", "text": "Ok thanks, I'l ask the real estate professors at the business school. My previous internship was in development, but in the beginning of college. The only issues with that is I've never taken a real estate course at my college. They won't let non business majors get in and save all the spots for majors/minors. The only professor I've talked to I talked to briefly at the end of a RE club meeting. ", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "dz5n2ox", "text": "All I'm saying is the skillset learned in brokerage applies directly to development.  You will meet and engage with developers who over time will view you as an equal and potentially as someone who may know more about certain aspects of the business as them.  You will have market intel people immediately view as valuable and you will be bringing them deals that make them money or selling theirs and making them money.  Any other route means you're always a beggar until you start hustling up deals that make them money.  Also, almost every large developer group in my area was started by a good broker or group of brokers.  After 5 or 10 years in brokerage you know the business better than 99% of the players in the game.", "replies": [{"id": "dz5uktj", "text": "I understand what you're saying. Makes complete sense, I guess I wanted to jump right into development and be apart of deals from their side. Thanks.", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "dz5hxyn", "text": "Totally disagree with this. Granted I was in Tampa, but I interned for a developer in Tampa when I had zero experience and it wasn\u2019t a family friend of anything. It was a friend of a mentor who I had met and in conversation I told one of their VPs how I did on the GMAT and was asked what I was doing for the summer. I helped out with market research, basic modeling and other things. Even got paid $10/hour as my first internship. Developers still need help with BS stuff and it\u2019s a great resume builder. Next internship paid me $23/hr, and got a full time job with them. \n\n", "replies": [{"id": "dz5n5ns", "text": "Are you a developer now?", "replies": [{"id": "dz919yz", "text": "CRE lending ", "replies": [{"id": "dz91elq", "text": "Suffice to say your track didn't make you a developer then.", "replies": [{"id": "dz91og3", "text": "Sure - but I could easily transition to a developer at any time.I was given a return offer at the developer I interned for, but took a higher paying gig. A lot of people think development is the pinnacle, but early in your career it\u2019s all about exposure. Plus the whole development timeline is exhausting. IMO I think running a fund is the pinnacle. Constant acquisitions, ridiculous pay if you hit your hurdles, constant networking, etc. ", "replies": [], "depth": 6}], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "dz7h9u1", "text": "Wait were you getting your MBA or just took the gmat? $10/hr is like peanuts for an MBA internship...", "replies": [{"id": "dz918hw", "text": "No I was a sophomore in college. I took it early for a combined degree masters. Not an MBA. ", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dz60ugu", "text": "Figure out which school all the partners went to. On the west coast it is usc. If you went to that school you get a lot of leeway. If you went to UCLA, well tough shit kid. I assume ny is like that too. Mine that old boy network ", "replies": [{"id": "dz7hfp4", "text": "UCLA has a good MBA real estate program, not sure about undergrad\n\nUSC has a much better Masters of RE though", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dz63clk", "text": "*beep beep* Hi, I'm JobsHelperBot, your friendly neighborhood jobs helper bot! My job in life is to help you with your job search but I'm just 242.2 days old and I'm still learning, so please tell me if I screw up. *boop*\n\nIt looks like you're asking about job search advice. But, I'm only ~17% sure of this. Let me know if I'm wrong!\n\nHave you checked out Forbes, LiveCareer, TalentWorks? They've got some great resources:\n\n* https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2017/03/07/job-hunting-tips-for-2017/#794febea5c12\n* https://www.livecareer.com/quintessential/15-job-hunting-tips\n* https://talent.works/automate-your-job-search", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dzpxt6x", "text": "Don\u2019t think about landing a development job without any experience. Wrong path. First prove yourself in the industry and work hard to make your way up. Learn the RE industry from the bottom up. \n\nEverything takes time and landing dream job is hard. \n\nGood luck though! ", "replies": [{"id": "dzsmk69", "text": "What would be an example of this? (Learning the industry and working my way up) I thought I was trying to do that by working from the bottom up for a developer. ", "replies": [{"id": "dzsmypv", "text": "An example would be to work as a broker and really learn the business. People seem to miss this. I never worked as a broker but surrounded myself around them and they have a good sense of the industry by speaking to developers and investors all the time. \n\nAlso, you can work as an analyst and eat dirt for a few years as you keep learning. Working for a developer is when someone who has enough value through his or her experiences to assist the \u201cdeveloper.\u201d Bottom line, you have so many years to learn. I\u2019m not suggesting that you shouldn\u2019t work for a developer, especially if you have the opportunity. Instead, if you cannot, it is okay for the the reasons I mentioned above. Everyone starts somewhere. \n\nLet me ask you this. What would be your job role at this development company? ", "replies": [{"id": "e0v1az4", "text": "I honestly don't know. I feel I don't have enough value for a developer right out of school. I'd assume something finance related, looking over excel sheets, and doing the grunt work that someone above me needs that is part of the whole development project. ", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]