Masters in Real Estate worth it if already established and successful
Did anyone go back to school to do a MSRE after being professionally successful? Would you or would you not recommend it?
[{"id": "i5pequ2", "text": "Will it enable you to do what you want in your career?", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "i5pqffb", "text": "I\u2019m doing mine now  (with 2 years of entry level CRE lending experience) and it has opened a lot of doors for job interviews. I\u2019m currently interviewing at one of the largest REIT\u2019s in the country and they wouldn\u2019t even consider me without the masters", "replies": [{"id": "i5q3esq", "text": "Recruiters visit your school, or did you find your way to the interview some other way?", "replies": [{"id": "i5qg7fu", "text": "For the REIT I got contacted by a recruiter on my linkedin.\nFirms send job postings to my school and they share them with all of the students. \nMost interviews I\u2019ve been able to get were by applying on my own through LinkedIn or other sites. I was able to interview with JLL capital markets and Berkadia investment sales but wasn\u2019t interested in either of the roles", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "i5r44vd", "text": "For me, the school brought in a publicly traded REIT and set up a table in the business school hallway. They came to specifically to recruit interns.", "replies": [{"id": "i5v78nq", "text": "Nice one", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "i5pr5mg", "text": "If you could provide a little bit more context, then I think people could give you a more robust set of answers.\n\nFor example:\n\nIn what capacity are you already established and successful?\n\nIf you are already making a few million a year in carried interest, and have sources of debt and equity eager to meet with you because of your track record, and you already can pick up the phone and move mountains....\n\nThen yeah, probably a waste of time.\n\nIf you are a successful broker or whatnot from a smaller market that is getting bored with the CCIM networking events at the local axe throwing bar, and you really want to up your game and see what else it out there...\n\nThen maybe do it.\n\nBut if you do it, go to a program that requires a GMAT/GRE so you aren't in class with people that struggle with basic arithmetic. There are lots of MSREs, MREDs, MSIREs, and so on that are a huge ripoff.\n\n80% of them are just revenue cows for their respective home universities.\n\nIn other words, go to USC, MIT, Cornell, Wharton, etc etc\n\nDon't bother with the open enrollment stuff, you won't learn much and the network value is shit.\n\nAlso would be helpful to know what you are trying to do with your career.\n\n&amp;#x200B;\n\nEdit: A top 20 MBA would potentially be even more helpful if you are already established in your game, and if you are really going for something more on wall street, you could pick up the CFA for much less $$$ and that designation still more or less carries some weight, though not at the mom and pop level.", "replies": [{"id": "i5prqx3", "text": "Im a commercial MF broker working in the mid market to low institutional space 10-80 million. I\u2019ve done a few syndications and have about 4 projects going on of my own in varying size. I\u2019m really looking to raise international capital and bring it into my market to do deals. I\u2019m learning high level excel financial modeling and getting a CCIM rn in my spare time. Was looking at doing a potential MSRE at the National University of Singapore as it seemed like a great school and place to internationally network with a relatively short duration of 1 year full time. I have a strong interest in Global Capital and Asset Management from an RE perspective but the field is very niche and specific and just want to find a way to break in. I\u2019m financially successful and money isn\u2019t really a worry at this point I\u2019m more interested in figuring out the best way to transition to working in a global RE capacity via capital raising and asset management.", "replies": [{"id": "i5pyaia", "text": "Well then..\n\nA stint in Singapore could be well worth the effort, I'll be there in a few days as the lockdown insanity looks to be finally over, fingers crossed. \n\nLike I was saying though, top 20 global MBA may be a better fit, since you may already know what the RE schools have to teach you (real estate in a context of efficient frontiers, REIT operations and valuations, monte carlo simulations, engineering complex capital stacks, etc etc)\n\nBesides, since your goal going to meet sources of equity, you want to be swimming in the deepest end of the pool that you can possibly jump into. NUS is great for that, but also consider LSE, and don't forget that many, many children of the global jetset still insist on a US pedigree, so if you can get into Wharton, it's not like you're hanging with a bunch of local heroes. \n\nAn advantage of LSE is that you get to live in a relatively free country that is just as relevant for global capital markets. Same networking opportunities, less chance you could get locked in your home for months on end. Also, I am just taking a guess that you are a native english speaker, and can't communicate in Mandarin or Malay; don't underestimate the fact that you will always be an outsider in Singapore. \n\nI think you may find that lots of the takers for the MSRE are people that are trying to get jobs in acquisitions, development, capital markets... maybe down the line some of your classmates (or their parents) will be deal flow for you, but for the most part its folks looking for a job.   \n\nAs an aside, if you are looking for complex financial modeling, you might be getting a little bored with CCIM, no?", "replies": [{"id": "i5pzkqm", "text": "CCIM is just for the designation, networking, etc, and has some non-financial aspects like market analysis. An MBA is intriguing but the time cost at this stage of my career plus 1 year is a little to much for me chase. I like the idea of pursuing the RE Masters just because of the networking opportunity and chance to create connections in a central point for global RE in Asia similar to London I suppose for Europe. What exactly is it that you do if you don\u2019t mind me asking? I\u2019m highly impressed with your knowledge regarding this subject I feel that even in CRE global knowledge of its mechanisms and international dynamics is very rare among 90% + of its professionals", "replies": [{"id": "i5q34cw", "text": "Ex-academic/international development worker who went into CRE (by accident) finding sites for MF developers because I knew how to use GIS and the boomer CRE dudes I knew didn't.   I got a paycheck from that and was like \"damn, okay\".  Very small time shit. \n\nI read the financial times and reddit to attain genius level cognition.", "replies": [{"id": "i5q7upp", "text": "Interesting", "replies": [], "depth": 6}], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "i5qfwjx", "text": "I think I had as much commercial experience as you, I would gotten a degree in accounting instead the MSIRE.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "i73oeu8", "text": "What about Texas A&amp;M's MSRE? How does that program stack up in your opinion?", "replies": [{"id": "i7ofe0l", "text": "I believe it\u2019s honestly really good. Professors include Buckley Banks, for financial modeling, who was a top modeling consultant for PE and REIT firms and helped start GetREFM, and Steve Ramseur, who is the current Chief Innovation Officer of JLL, who teaches the real estate innovation course. The Board who students have access to include Cydney Donnel, Bruce Peterson, and more. Great program for networking and learning from professors who have been in the industry and are now on the academic side.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "i5qfodf", "text": "I have an MSIRE from FIU.  I thought it awesome.  I have 5 of 6 classes needed for CCIM.  Mine was very heavy on financing and investing.   \n\nIs it needed, no.   Was it worth it to me, yes.  Do you want to move more into commercial and multifamily? Then it will be helpful.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "i5r0te0", "text": "Generally speaking, Masters programs are good for two things: building a superior network or learning highly specialized skills that would take years to learn in a real world environment. I considered an MBA along with my JD and was told by a Harvard MBA that unless I could get into an Ivy League program, he thought it would be a waste of time and money. Similar advice from a banker on the KC Fed regarding getting an MBA and going into banking. Generally the experience you would get by working instead results in roughly the same income level at the end of the same time period. \n\nI don't think any sort of financial modeling/understanding in RE can be better learned in a classroom environment than in the actual business. In fact I would venture that you would learn less in that regard in a class than in actual practice. The Networking could very well be worth it however for international work, I am not as familiar with what those circles look like. I know for me locally, most of the biggest capital guys in my neck of the woods never even went to college so a Master's program wouldn't help building networks with them.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "i5r3ckb", "text": "I got mine (MS real estate &amp; build environment, no GMAT) from University of Denver after working in the hotel industry as a director of housekeeping. The school connected me with a publicly traded multifamily reit\u2019s development department for my internship which helped me land a development analyst role with an institutional regional developer. Don\u2019t let all the brokers on here scare you, most of the prestigious bigger shops want graduate degrees for their dev team. At the same time 2 out of 5 students in my cohort could not land roles and are back to property management or brokers with 70k in debt. I couldn\u2019t switch industries and penetrate development without the degree but everyone seems to have their own paths in this industry.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "i5sw5xj", "text": "Nope", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]