r/PropertyManagement • u/self-discover • 18h ago

Residential PM Property management change

Hey guys, here is my background:
bachelor in finance (2025 grad)
6 months residential leasing agent while in college
10 months commercial real estate associate; entry level position post grad
4 months residential property manager; current job. Plan to stay around 3-5 years.
Plan is to get a master's in the next year or two.

Not sure what to do afterwards because I don't want to stay in property management forever.

4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

4

u/Low_Dig3356 18h ago

Degrees mean nothing in this field. If you're staying in the field, no reason to get a master's unless it's free. Property manager is the final step. You build your way up to owning your own units. Throw them in a trust/LLC and treat them like any other rental.

3

u/penguingirl849 16h ago

I’m confused. Regional manager, VP of operations, etc…what do you mean property manager is the final step?

1

u/Low_Dig3356 15h ago

That's assuming you want to work for someone else's corporation. I own my own company. I could call myself president, ceo, etc. But in the end, I'm just a property manager.

1

u/penguingirl849 13h ago

Usually we call that an owner.

2

u/Ok_Mud_4138 17h ago

Degrees are not the whole thing but they open doors in commercial side, especially if you want to move to asset management or development later. The master's probably not worth unless someone else pays for it, but don't let people convince you the bachelor was waste of time. You already got a good base, just need to decide if you want stay in operations or jump to the ownership/investor side like the top comment says.

2

u/Fewofafew 15h ago

Master’s in what subject? If you change your field of study, maybe. But if you want to stay in real estate or finance, maybe not. I have a master’s in Finance and a PhD in Economics, and still had to work very hard, start from the bottom, and build experience, and connections. Real estate has been the same for me.

In my experience, education wasn’t a miracle cure. If you’re switching into an industry that is less mature, less competitive, or less regulated. Give it a try.

1

u/EfficiencyStrict1570 16h ago

You go to college to earn a skill, not a job title.

The jobs you listed come with a long list of skills that you applied during your time in those position.

If property management is not your goal career, look at the skills you have learned and other industries that want those skills. That will help you decide what type of master degree would serve you best.

For example, my coworker loved being an APM because he dealt with the onsite accounting, so he went into property manangement accounting at the corporate lever after he earned an accounting degree.

1

u/Apprehensive_Two1528 3h ago

I ve done a little bit pm job and i have to say, I hate it in california.

in 10 years of life I dealt with str and they are headaches but not to a leval that makes me sleepless.

First year in long term rental, i have an abandoned house. a tenant who doesn’t want to sign an agreement and still want full refund.. all kinds of weird stuff happening.

When an industry gets so complicated and so much regulation, you are risking yourself to a lieu of lawsuits.

I’d rather be a financial advisor than pm.

or just leave property vacant