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Ask a Student: All about Real Estate and Planning!

Hi everyone!

Something we often get asked about is our Real Estate and Planning degrees if you have no experience or links to the industry, it can be really tricky to understand the degrees on offer and whether they’d be a good fit for you, how to make the most of your degree, and where it can take you after graduating. To try to demystify the degrees and sector, we’ll be hearing from two of our current BSc Real Estate and Planning students here at the University of Reading. First up, we'll be hearing from Will.

Hi there, I am Will, a first-year Real Estate and Planning student at the University of Reading. I am originally from the Cotswolds, I studied Business, Economics and Geography for my A-levels. Living in the countryside I have always enjoyed walking, especially with my two dogs, which is something I’ve carried on with as part of a society at university. Next week, I will be posting blogs about my route into Real Estate and Planning and how I found my own opportunities in this field, as I had no family ties to the industry. I will also be dispelling myths in circulation that had the potential to put me off studying a Real Estate and Planning degree.

We'll also be hearing from Arizona about her journey with the degree.

Hey! My name is Arizona, and I will be joining Will next week posting blogs about Real Estate and Planning. Like Will, I too am a first-year student at the University of Reading. In my blogs, I will also explain my journey into Real Estate and Planning, as well as what I have done in the field so far and where my degree might possibly take me in the future. I hope you find our blogs useful :smile: Next week we will also be available to answer any questions you may have so please do ask away!

We hope you find the blogs to be a helpful insight into the course. Please feel free to ask any questions you have about the University or Real Estate and Planning in general!

Lottie :smile:
GRTUK and Reading alumna (History)
What would you say to someone who asked if Real Estate and Planning courses were very narrow in the opportunities they open up?
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Original post by 04MR17
What would you say to someone who asked if Real Estate and Planning courses were very narrow in the opportunities they open up?


Good question! I think I can understand this opinion objectively, but with a little research you'll realise that there's actually a lot more to the degree than at first glance, as the area is quite diverse! Modules cover planning and building, data analysis, property laws, economics, investments and valuations, and both home and international housing markets among many other topics, giving you plenty of opportunity to specialise. Alongside the theoretical and practical knowledge you'll acquire, here at Reading you get to work with world-leading experts and learn all their tips and tricks, which means networking opportunities are always open to you. Moreover, we have a dedicated careers department that have already helped over 5000 graduates go into fields related to real estate advising, property development, planning consultancies and financial institutions. To help you succeed in your chosen path, you'll have the option to do placements and projects to practically apply the skill and knowledge you'll gain throughout your degree too, as well as the option to receive one-to-one industry mentoring.

I've found that throughout my degree you really get out what you put in, so if you make the most of the opportunities in terms of developing skills and experience both through your department and from the wider university, you'll find plenty of employers from a range of different backgrounds and sectors interested in you - after all, the best thing next to expertise is a wealth of transferable skills, something you'll absolutely receive here at Reading :smile:

Kath
3rd Year History Undergraduate
Hi, it’s Will and Arizona, we are going to start this week telling you about our journeys into studying Real Estate and Planning at university!

Will:
I always knew that a career in property was what I wanted to do but I was never sure on which part to consider whether it be Architecture, Construction or Planning. Because of this, when my year 10 work experience came around, I knew I should seek an opportunity in property so approached my local estate agents. Throughout the week I helped with viewings, photographing houses, and answering the phone to customers. I really enjoyed it but didn’t want to rule out other options so applied for a virtual placement in year 12 with a construction company. Whilst much as the week was interesting, after partaking in a group presentation I subsequently decided Construction wasn’t for me. Due to this, I turned back to what I enjoyed doing and started gaining more work experience in estate agents throughout the rest of year 12.

I was lucky that a friend from another school informed me of a summer school at the University of Reading called Pathways to Property. Unfortunately, due to COVID, this took place online, however, it still proved to be invaluable and allowed me to meet and ask questions of current students and lecturers. This confirmed that I wanted to study Real Estate and Planning as it focused on the aspects of property I enjoyed and would diversify my career options in the future. I subsequently explored multiple universities and degree apprenticeships. I settled on Reading as it was one of the best in the UK for the course and I liked the idea of getting my studies done in 3 to 4 years rather than the 6 years plus that a degree apprenticeship entails.

Arizona:
My route into Real Estate and Planning has been far from simple… I was initially so set against going to university… but where am I now? In one of the best universities for my course. Let me tell you a bit about how I ended up here!

When I was younger, I remember watching shows such as “Extreme Makeover”, “Grand Designs”, “Million Dollar Listings” and “A Place in the Sun: Home or Away?”. Watching these shows I was always interested in how people would come up with the prices of houses, the whole process of actually buying a house and which house would be the best fit for that particular individual or family. I didn’t realise I had an interest in the property until the first lockdown came around. I went back to watching a few shows from my childhood and looking at property videos on TikTok. I would scroll through the comments and realise that I didn’t have the same sorts of questions or interests as other people. I was always thinking about the location of the property, why it would cost that much and what were the hidden fees! I then came to realise that this didn’t have to be a side interest of mine, it could be a successful career I could pursue!

I then started to research with my sister on how I could gain experience in Real Estate, and this is when I came across a scheme called Pathways to Property. I took part in their summer school which helped me gain a wealth of experiences to add to my CV; the scheme is well known within sector which continues to be helpful. Due to COVID-19, the summer school was online, which meant we couldn’t do a site visit or our presentations in-person. But it was still an interesting opportunity and enabled me to fill in the gaps in knowledge I had about Real Estate, which even extensive searching online hadn’t allowed me to answer. This experience greatly influenced my decision to study Real Estate and Planning at university.

Thanks for reading our blogs about how we became interested in the field. If you have any questions about our journeys into Real Estate and Planning, or any other questions about the course or university in general please ask! Will is going to take the lead on our next blog this week, in which he will be dispelling some common myths you may have heard about studying Real Estate and Planning.
Hi it’s Will again! As Arizona mentioned, at the end of our last blog, I thought I would spend this blog dispelling some of the myths in circulation about Real Estate and Planning. The myths I am going to talk about are ones that I have either heard or even thought about myself.

Myth 1: People who study Real Estate and Planning go on to become Estate Agents.

This a common myth, as @04MR17 has already helpfully highlighted. However, it is not the case, and a Real Estate degree will open lots more career options than you may initially realise. Real Estate is split into three main categories: Commercial, Residential, and Rural but there is some crossover. The two main types of roles are Surveyors and Planners. Surveyors work on valuation, management, and research into development propositions whilst Planners make decisions about the space around us. In addition, some students also go on to pursue other careers within the wider field of Business.

Myth 2: There is no benefit to studying Real Estate and Planning at university because you can go into property without going to university.

It's true there is other routes into the industry including working up the ladder or taking on an apprenticeship. However, university can be useful in gaining your accreditation quicker, building your professional network and making you a more attractive candidate for future employers. If you take an accredited degree, like at Reading, it will speed up your accreditation with RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) or RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute). Don’t worry you don’t know too much about this I didn’t either, but basically, it's an additional qualification gained for expertise in the industry of surveying and planning that helps boost your potential salary. As well as this, at Reading, there are regular networking events exclusively for Real Estate students that allow you to meet future employers, learn about the roles they offer and gain work experience placements. Finally, a degree can make you a more attractive candidate for employers as you will go into the industry with an existing knowledge of property and you will have gained new life skills such as: managing your own finances, potentially travelling abroad and increased confidence in public speaking.

Myth 3: You need previous experience or knowledge of the property sector to go into Real Estate and Planning.

Although it might be helpful to have prior insight, it is possible to gain this experience once you are at university instead. This can be done through internships, work experience and insight weeks. Contacts in finding these can be easily picked up through the networking events I mentioned earlier. At Reading, students are supported throughout this process by our specialist career advisor and by our dedicated charity RREF (Reading Real Estate Foundation), I imagine other universities will offer something similar.

Myth 4: Only the wealthy go into property.

I will not lie, when I first arrived, I realised many students had attended private schools and had ties to family in the industry, which was a little overwhelming. However, after a year at the university, I feel it matters less as the degree goes on. This is due to the fact the opportunities are open to everyone meaning you can build your own new connections and pathway to success. As well as this, lots of businesses are putting a newfound emphasis on diversifying their workforce and are looking for employees from a range of backgrounds with different experiences and perspectives.

Thanks for reading! Remember to post any questions you might have; Arizona and I are more than happy to answer them.
(edited 11 months ago)
Hey, it is Arizona here! In today’s blog, Will and I are going to tell you a little bit about our desired careers in Real Estate and Planning.


Arizona:
There are many different careers in Real Estate such as Surveying, Property Management, Asset and Wealth Management, Selling etc. The sectors I would like to pursue are Wealth Management and Sales. Wealth Management is an advisory service that helps people manage their investment portfolios. I want to go into this sector because I enjoy talking to clients and building relationships with many different people (but, having said this I do have plans to dabble in other things too).


I have had several different experiences in Real Estate both in-person and online (due to covid), they have all taught me lessons not only about the industry but also about myself. One of the work experiences I took part in was for Savills at their head office on Margaret Street. I attended viewings and site visits to new projects they were working on at the time, such as the Television Centre in White City. It was exciting to have the opportunity to see developments in person in addition to viewing and working on them remotely from the office. My time at Savills not only gave me a better insight into the prime residential industry but also helped me visualise what my working life might be like. An example of an online work experience I have undertaken is with J.P.Morgan Private. This gave me more of an insight into how the investment industry works particularly regarding wealth management, which was useful given this is the area I want to go into. A task I was assigned whilst there was to work with different clients to update their portfolios. Before this, I wasn’t aware of the number of factors which impact what clients invested in.


Pathways to Property’s summer school was crucial to my journey into Real Estate. This scheme gave me experience and expertise in the sector, which I needed and continue to draw upon when pitching myself to other industries about why they should consider me for work experience. In addition, I have also benefited from having a professional mentor who already works in the field I wish to go into. Our meetings are interesting and insightful, and my mentor helps support me with my university studies and career development. My journey in Real Estate and Planning has only just begun, there are lots of opportunities out there to learn more about Real Estate, and I encourage you to take part in as many as you can.


As mentioned, in the future I would like to become a Wealth Manager. I will still be looking at different positions during my career to diversify my career portfolio, help particularise my options and refine my career path. I would love to get to the stage where I no longer need to find my own clients, but clients come to me, that is my version of success. I wanted to close my section of this blog by saying that everybody's journey is different. It doesn't matter what background you come from; you can always work towards your dreams. This is only the beginning of my journey, and I am excited to see where this pathway will lead me.


Will:

Although unsure of the direction I see my career going, I have started to explore different possibilities. First off, I’ve always known I would like to work in the residential sector focusing on houses and flats. This comes from my past work experience, which I mentioned earlier in the week, as well as a long-term interest in local residential building projects and seeing what comes onto the market. This was all I knew when arriving at university but have since explored the options further at the multitude of career events offered to us. Through these connections and discussions, I have decided I would prefer a customer-facing role, meaning I would like to work directly with customers and local communities. This is worth considering as residential transactions tend to be more emotional as houses form a large part of our lives and hold more sentimental value compared to an office transaction for example. As well as this I took part in a trip with one of my lecturers to visit key development sites in London including Kings Cross, Battersea Power Station, and The City of London. Kings Cross particularly interested me, especially the flats located in the old gasholders. This meant when I met SAY at a careers event, who worked on some of Kings Cross, I was very keen to get some work experience with them. All going well I should be partaking in this over the summer and hopefully, this should give me some clarity on where I want to go in the future.


Finally, Arizona and I would like to thank you for reading our blogs, we hope you’ve learned a bit about what Real Estate and Planning is like as a degree and feel in a better place to make a decision on whether it could be the right option for you. We wish you all the best in whatever you decide for the future! :smile:


We would like to sign off by signposting you to some websites and opportunities we found helpful when researching Real Estate and Planning:

Websites:
Indeed - https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/real-estate-degree
Property Needs You - https://www.propertyneedsyou.com
RICS - https://www.rics.org
University websites e.g., - https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/real-estate-and-planning-ug/bsc-real-estate
Reading Real Estate Foundation https://www.henley.ac.uk/research/academic-areas/real-estate-and-planning/rref/current-and-prospective-students/rref-financial-support

Opportunities:

Open Online Course, Pathways to Property: Starting Your Career in Real Estate- https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/pathways-to-property
This is an online course which gives an in-depth insight into the sector and the vast range of career possibilities within it. The course looks at the range of stakeholders who influence property development, key issues impacting the property industry and examines where the field may be heading, among other things.

Pathways to Property, the summer residential
https://www.henley.ac.uk/research/academic-areas/real-estate-and-planning/rref/pathways-to-property/students
Both of us took part in the Pathways to Property’s summer residential and found it to be extremely helpful in deciding whether a career in Real Estate was for us whilst also developing life and study skills. The deadline for this year’s (2023) applications has been extended to 15th May, so if you are currently in Y12 (or the first year of college) and wish to apply check out the website we have linked above! Don’t worry, the summer residential is usually held each year so if you’re not yet in Y12 be sure to look again when you are!

Pathways to Property also host Insight Days in various locations across the country, to allow more students to learn about careers in the property sector without them having to travel to Reading for the summer residential.

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