Do you want to advance in your career? Raise your hand. Raise it to volunteer. Raise it to take on a new assignment. Be open to the opportunities that come your way and let the experience take you to a broader understanding of your business and the people in it.
And, if you want proof this is a winning formula, just ask Mayra Ramirez, CPM庐. It鈥檚 a formula that got her into property management in the first place, and it continues to feed her education in the wide range of disciplines property management touches.聽
鈥淩aise your hand,鈥� says the Operations Construction manager for Prologis in Anaheim, California, 鈥渆ven if you don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 something you ultimately want to do.鈥� She adds that the opportunities for learning that come through a focus on property management will serve you well in the future. For instance, the financial knowledge that鈥檚 part and parcel of this discipline 鈥渨ill pay dividends if later in your career you get into brokerage or development or capital markets.鈥澛�
No matter the title, an understanding of how properties operate and budget will serve anyone in any aspect of commercial or residential real estate. Get your CPM (something Ramirez did in October of last year, by the way), and 鈥測ou can do a budget analysis in your sleep.鈥澛�
Raising your hand is an approach born of necessity. Ramirez graduated from Columbia University with degrees in Hispanic Studies, Psychology and Pre-Law, and had visions of a long career with high salaries in the legal profession. 鈥淏ut life had a different plan,鈥� she says. That came in the form of the Great Recession of 2009. All at once, multiple job offers dried up, and Ramirez found herself out of work and on her mother鈥檚 couch. 鈥淚 needed a paycheck.鈥澛�
And guess what? At the time, she didn鈥檛 even know there was a profession called property management. But she signed with a temp agency, got a job as a receptionist in an executive suites firm (Regus), and since she was the primary point of contact, began interacting with engineers and the managers servicing her building.聽
They prompted her to apply for a position, and she ended up working for a company she鈥檇 never heard of, despite the fact that it鈥檚 one of the largest real estate owner/managers in the Western U.S.--The Irvine Company.
鈥淏ut what did they do?鈥� she asked, not having any idea, 鈥渁nd where would growth come in?鈥� Ramirez says they allowed her to shadow them and explained in detail the ins and outs of property management. 鈥淭hey were happy, and they clearly loved their jobs.鈥� All at once, 鈥渁 whole new world opened for me.鈥�
All the time, she 鈥渟truggled to more fully understand the foundations of property management鈥� and had a hard time finding peers her own age to share insights with, learn the business, and overcome challenges. In an industry famous for its aging population, 鈥淚 needed a phone-a-friend,鈥� she says.聽
And that鈥檚 when she learned about 乐竞体育赛事直播. 鈥淚 started with 乐竞体育赛事直播 about five years ago,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淚 needed people my age in this industry who I could talk to about their trials and tribulations.鈥�
And she began to raise her hand. She never missed an opportunity to sit in on meetings and economic forecasts. She raised it when the head of her local chapter鈥檚 Young Professional Committee needed help, and she raised it again when that same chair left and Ramirez assumed the role, which she held for four years. It鈥檚 important to note that, in that time, membership in the committee grew from a handful to upwards of 80.聽
After a long and successful run, she admits she was 鈥渞eady for something else,鈥� and that鈥檚 when the local chapter president asked if she was interested in joining the executive committee.聽You already know her answer. Today, she鈥檚 president-elect of the 乐竞体育赛事直播 Orange County Chapter (Sam Chanin, CPM庐, is president).
After nearly seven years, she left Irvine for what she describes as more promotional opportunities (鈥淭hat was tough. They were like family to me.鈥�), and she joined ProLogis in January of this year. She works in a pod of professionals who oversee some 12 million square feet of industrial space.聽
It should come as no surprise that Ramirez is active in her volunteerism, and part of that is to make it easier for up-and-comers to discover and understand the rich career that is property management. Her involvement on the executive committee in itself sends a message of youth to interested observers. But that鈥檚 not quite enough.聽
When she graduated Columbia, there were precious few courses at the college or university level that offered undergrads with exposure to the real estate industry and property management. 鈥淢y whole focus now is going to universities and opening the eyes of students who may not know this is a career path,鈥� she says.
The chapter already has a memo of understanding with Cal State Fullerton to promote 乐竞体育赛事直播, its courses, and its certifications. 鈥淭hose students can also participate in IYP,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd they get to network and pick our brain about companies and other disciplines.鈥澛�
And all they must do to take advantage of that golden opportunity is to raise their hands.
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鈥淚 started with 乐竞体育赛事直播 about five years ago,鈥� says Mayra Ramirez. 鈥淚 needed people my age in this industry who I could talk to about their trials and tribulations.鈥�