Ok lads I'm going through a stage with my job that has got me thinking that I should I get out of it and try something else, but I have know idea what or where to go. Friends and family aren't really any help cause they know me and just say stick with it but I'm not sure that's the way to go.

Heres the run down,

I have been in real estate for under two years and on my 4th agency none so far have given me the start I wanted or the support I need to further my career. I had a discussion with my current boss 2 weeks ago before he went on holidays and he hinted there might not be much of a future here as the market has sh*t itself and he might have to downsize.

Now I'm like F*ck, is this worth all the sh*t? My last job was as a 9-5 courier in the city and I was happy as a pig in sh*t, it was a great job with great people I had a job there for as long as I wanted but the only problem was that it wasn't going anywhere.

Now I have been offered another job with another local agent but I'm concerned the same thing might happen again getting me nowhere fast. I not sure if I should stay in it or try something different for a while?

If anyones has a similar story or any input/advice please feel free to share, any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Dillon

What qualifications do you have and what type of things are you interested in? Obviously XR Turbos but what else? I find the people that are really good at their job and enjoy doing it are people that have a personal interest in it.

Going by the fact that you are onto your fourth agency in under 2 years would indicate to me that none of them will ever give you the support or help you need to further your career. Yes, another agency has offered you a job, but by the sounds of things they will be much the same, and you'll be in the same predicament in the next 6 months or so.

Id say a career change is on the cards. Go back to being a courier for a while, and put some feelers out in the industries you think you would like to work in, you meet shedloads of people being a courier, keep your ear to the ground, im sure something will pop up.

My 2 cents. You gotta be happy in your job at the end of the day.

Being in real estate sucks at the moment. My mum is an agent and is telling me how much the market has changed. There only seems to be desparate sellers and bargain hunter buyers.

If you do not see yourself being an agent long term, then get out now, as you do not seem happy, so why stay.

There are heaps of jobs out there, if you like sales, then try to sell soemthing you like.

Being a courier, should be seen as a fillin job untill you find soemthing better, as there are not many long term prospects in that field, unless you want to start your own business.

Yuo only live once, so I figure you should be doing what you like.

I'm only 22 so not really any other qualifications, there are things I like and enjoy but I also need to be able to earn good money doing these things and that's where I think I come unstuck. Thanks for the input guys.

Mate, alot of us here are in a sales role of some sort, I can tell you that it doesn't matter where you are at the moment. business has dropped. Retail is the hardest hit because alot of peoples pockets are faily light at the moment.

I have considered getting out of my job recently, but similar to you, I can't find something that has the same paycheque for something that I enjoy. I figure that if the business you are in is slow, there isn't going to be much difference if you go to another agent/delaer in the same industry. So try and keep focused on your job now so you aren't wasting your time and not making money, and keep your eyes out for whatever it is that you may want to do next.

I was destined to be in the IT industry as I was going through school, then I finished, got a job installing security doors that made me lose sight of the IT thing. After a while I realised that the IT industry had moved forward and I found this job.

Things can change mate, but the most important thing is that you make the most of what you have at any given point in time. If you get depressed and you don't want to do anything, guess what? It's just gonna get worse for ya!

Keep your head down and bum up for the mean time mate, when you least expect it something will pop up and it will be just what you need!

Pat

Hey mate,

Funny situation, going through a similar thing myself, however with IT Sales Management as apposed to Real Estate.

I can say as my family owns a Real Estate, the current situation isn't looking good, kinda like us in IT... In fact that side of the family has all but closed the RE down and have moved into focusing on land sales and development (expansion)...

Not sure how old you are, however it might be worth looking at the pro's and con's, is there anything you like about RE at all?

Are you someone that just wants more and more and more - ie. career progression quickly?

If there are parts of RE you actually enjoy - ie. client facing, making deals, etc then look at another role which will let you do the same, however in a different field...

Maybe you enjoy the property side of it?

Just look at what you like about your job, why you wanted to get into RE in the beginning and leave the driver run...

I have been in Sydney off and on for roughly 10yrs and had far to many roles in the IT industry, some I loved and some I didnt... the problem is/was I mored here at 18yo, by myself and had no idea what I was doing when it came to living and life... Huge learning curve... For me I was lucky that in most cases each new role I took was generally a step up... Now at a point where I look at the industry and think what the f*ck am I doing... do I really want to do this anymore...

The past 2 yrs have been all over the place 4 jobs also... 2 in IT, 1 in consumer electronics, and 1 of all things in Recruitment...

Basically looked at what I enjoyed the most about being in IT and how could I use those skills I have and all the time and effort I have put in over the past 10 yrs into a new and different role...

After it all being said and done - im now looking to get back into the IT channel, far to many reasons not to... even if it doesnt feel 'personally' rewarding enough...

Just ask yourself what gets you out of bed of a morning, what is it you want to do, and where do you see yourself in 5yrs, 10yrs, etc... and look at how you want to get there...

What drive you, Money, self promotion, self reward, what?

Bit d&m'ish, but mate, I guess that's what happens when you end up in recruitment and deal with this question day in day out... Pity most people in recruitment are just about the $ and not actually helping people find the right job/career...

Maybe the car industry? (have a passion for cars in guessing, but then that industry is becoming even harder from what I hear).

Maybe property management?

Maybe property development?

Recruitment to the RE/property industry?

Just keep looking and talking to heaps of people, you will find yourself considering things you never thought of before...

Try not to get to a point where you just cant be stuffed anymore, otherwise you'll end up on your couch at home for a week or two doing nothing except watching movies, calling contract in the industry, looking for a new job, and SITTING ON HERE WITH YOU LOT!!!

Without being ruthless, or unethical, use the time in your current job as much as you can, get your hands dirty and try to live, eat, breath it during work hours and maybe you will discover what you like and dislike about it, then know what you really want!

As they keep saying - yes we are in a candidate short market, but at the same time its not a lack of applications but people that actually know what they are doing... Tens of thousands of people looking for work but either have no idea about the industry they want to get into, or whats worse they have NO STREET SMARTS, or common sense... The best way to stand out is to know what your on about!

Sorry about the novel all!

Edited May 27, 200818 yr by smicky

Wow, I can't believe the responses I'm getting thanks alot guys.

I have always loved property and ideally wanted to get into property development so I assumed Real Estate would be the best stepping stone but when I think about it it might not be.

Maybe I need to trying something I really love doing and get into development later on, I think I'm just worried about the initial plunge because if I dive into another career and it was the wrong choice then that's just more time I've wasted.

I work for one of the country's most successful real estate agents. (Only thing is I'm in IT and not sales... )

however - I know there is a lot of money to be made in sales. Yes, you have to work long hours but it's like anything, if you willing to put in the time the rewards can be huge - especially in real estate. One look at the cars and property's that some of our guys have will confirm that.

I'm not sure about the size of the company's you have worked for and maybe that is the problem. With us there is option of general sales, developments, commercial real estate, body corp, prop management, marketing and new business. There is plenty of fields in our one company that all specialize in one thing. Maybe it’s an idea to find a large company that has many options like this and that way you can move to developments if you like or somewhere else that takes your fancy. Unless you really hate the whole real estate game I don’t see why you would change career all together.

I would recommend trying to find a big company, that does the lot – there is plenty out there and that way you have lots of places to move if you want a change. Also you need to be aware that real estate usually goes in a 10 year cycle. We are headed down at the moment, but it will pick back up and that’s when the serious cash can be made.

Or you could move the ACT or NSW or Dubai and join us!

Sorry for the long post, hope it gives you some ideas?!?!

You need an unreasonable friend to bark orders at you.

Dill I've wanted to quit many times. Real estate is a tough job (even though most people think we're scum) it's a very stressful and tough way to make a living, but it took me 4 years of selling to make a decent dollar.

Within the past 4 years I've wanted to quit so many times. Going home at midnight on Friday and Saturday night parties and not being able to get totally smashed in fear of getting bretho'ed in the morning etc etc etc. But if you have a goal with dollar signs and/or success at the end, you'll be fine. But if you don't know what you want and aren't willing to sacrifice to get it, then you may as well find a cushy job somewhere and put up with the same pay every month.

In this job, if you have your technique down pat and you practice perfect routine, then it will pay off. It took me ages to learn how to do it, but once I learnt how to control my attitude it all changed. With my attitude and listening to what I'm taught, I've just taken over my section of the business (established houses, packages etc) and work is now going to pay for me to do my full licence in the next few months, then in about 2-3 years I'm going to start my own office and create a money making factory! Yaaaay!

Real estate used to be easy when the boom was in full swing. People just rode the wave and made an easy $300k to $500k a year, and now that it's up sh*t creek, the morons are leaving and the top sellers are all in management positions holding onto a 1/2 decent salary that pays for their lifestyle. But as for the kit shickers like you and me, we just have to hit the pavement and list, and hit the phones and sell. If you do all the necessary things well, you'll be fine.

Now put your fuking head down. It doesn't matter which office it's in, or which company name is on your business card. Get on with it!

Yours Sincerely,

Unreasonable Friend.

P.S. Oh, and I'm friends with most of Melbourne's biggest developers and Directors of the biggest building companies in Melbourne, and if they weren't a builder, they were a real estate agent! One director of Porter Davis lives about 2 mins down the road from me. His boat is the size of my house! That's where I wanna be when I'm 35...!

Edited May 27, 200818 yr by R-SPEC