i have to choose a college by may 1st and ive narrowed it down to early childhood education and real property administration.with ECE i could become a nanny or an au pair(basically an underpaid nanny in another country; which in my opinion is good, you get paid to live in another country)or with APR i could do 2 years of schooling then go for my real estate test.i need opinions. I want a career that is future family friendly, something that can benefit me in the future s and cons for each career would be greatly appreciated.
I think real estate property administration is kind of a joke certificate/degree. I worked in property management, made about $33k with benefits, and had no background in it. I had some office experience. You certainly don't need 2 years of schooling to go for a real estate test! Requirements vary by state, but in Mass we had only to take a short course (usually offered in the continuing education branch of a community college) for like $250, to be eligible to take the real estate agent test. Real estate agents, at the entry level, are basically glorified door-openers. You drive around and unlock houses for people, and they look around. The broker does all the heavy lifting as far as legal stuff is concerned. Being a real estate agent is a tough business, most people don't make it a year, because you spend so much time and money in hopes of getting a paycheck, which is actually pretty paltry once a sale is made. To work in a property management office, they don't usually expect you to know everything, just be able to work a computer, fax, etc. Working in a property management office usually entails dealing with a lot of crazy, unreasonable, angry tenants. If it's something you want to explore, taking the basic course and real estate license would allow you to work as an agent, and it would also look good on a resume when applying to property management companies. This all sounds kind of dismal, but knowledge about real estate does really come in handy, and of course there are many avenues to pursue besides agent or office... like owning your own rental properties (which is tough but potentially lucrative, if you have gained the knowledge.) Can't really help you with the childhood education thing, cause I can't stand kids.
