For Sale by Brad
Higher ed has been the only career I've ever known. Practically. There was that blip in the for-profit education world but that lasted three months and was 13 years ago. So basically, higher ed has been the only game in town. I didn't always know a PhD wasn't in my future and there's times when I think it still could be - not in higher ed but in leadership or communications - but as I grew more comfortable with the idea of NOT going back to school and fell more in love with being home in NOLA, I struggled with that big WHAT'S NEXT question. And not that anything has to be NEXT...not right now anyway. But at some point. It's the nature of our field in higher ed. Keep moving. Moving up, moving over, moving out. I'm not in a rush to go anywhere. I landed the job I dreamed of having for years less than two years ago and my team is PHENOMENAL. And that's a rarity. But again, the name of the game is moving. To be honest, I'm not interested. I don't want to leave NOLA and start over just to move up in higher ed. It's lonely at the top. And though I believe deep down I would be a killer Dean of Students or VP one day, I don't have the academic credentials to get me there and not sure I have the passion for the field anymore to drive me to that destination.
GULP.
When you work in higher ed (and maybe in other professions?) you're often asked what you would do if you weren't doing this. And while I'm sure there's a lot of things we higher ed folx could be doing (because we're ballers), I always landed on real estate. I'm fascinated by houses. HGTV is my jam. I LOVE exploring houses and I always thought I had the personality to SLAY IT in the real estate game. I just never pursued it. Until I did.
If you're an avid follower (and avid is strong considering I only post like once every three months now), you know I set a goal heading into 2018. Become a licensed agent...by the end of March. There was the family friend who kept nudging me to do it for the past couple years wanting me to join her business. But my job at work kept changing. And I wasn't sure where my path was heading. And then things got stable. And finally the realization that there was nothing holding me back except my unwillingness to JUST DO IT. So I did it. I bought the course. Completed the 90-hour training. Studied my tail off. And sat for the exam today. A grueling 2.5 hours of 155 multiple choice questions. BUT I PASSED. I PASSED!!!!!!!
So tonight I'm celebrating. Celebrating setting a goal, working toward it, and accomplishing it. Celebrating the possibility of a new passion and a new long-term career. Maybe I'm destined to remain in higher ed. Maybe real estate is calling my name. Maybe it's something else entirely. But for now? I'm celebrating the present. Here's to a new adventure in real estate. Rest assured there'll be many posts to come on this journey.
Cheers.
GULP.
When you work in higher ed (and maybe in other professions?) you're often asked what you would do if you weren't doing this. And while I'm sure there's a lot of things we higher ed folx could be doing (because we're ballers), I always landed on real estate. I'm fascinated by houses. HGTV is my jam. I LOVE exploring houses and I always thought I had the personality to SLAY IT in the real estate game. I just never pursued it. Until I did.
If you're an avid follower (and avid is strong considering I only post like once every three months now), you know I set a goal heading into 2018. Become a licensed agent...by the end of March. There was the family friend who kept nudging me to do it for the past couple years wanting me to join her business. But my job at work kept changing. And I wasn't sure where my path was heading. And then things got stable. And finally the realization that there was nothing holding me back except my unwillingness to JUST DO IT. So I did it. I bought the course. Completed the 90-hour training. Studied my tail off. And sat for the exam today. A grueling 2.5 hours of 155 multiple choice questions. BUT I PASSED. I PASSED!!!!!!!
So tonight I'm celebrating. Celebrating setting a goal, working toward it, and accomplishing it. Celebrating the possibility of a new passion and a new long-term career. Maybe I'm destined to remain in higher ed. Maybe real estate is calling my name. Maybe it's something else entirely. But for now? I'm celebrating the present. Here's to a new adventure in real estate. Rest assured there'll be many posts to come on this journey.
Cheers.
Comments