Favorite Parts of Being a Project Director at PATH Ventures
Michael, a Project Director at PATH Ventures, thrives on the unpredictable nature of his role, enjoying "no two days [being] the same" as he juggles projects in various stages, from initial planning to loan payoff. This variety, coupled with the intersection of business, public policy, and urban planning within nonprofit real estate development, allows Michael to utilize a diverse skillset and constantly evolve their professional experience.
Project Management, Problem-Solving, Variety and Change, Interdisciplinary Work, Real Estate Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michael Busse
Project Director
PATH Ventures
Loyola Marymount University, 2016
UCLA Master's of Urban and Regional Planning
Entrepreneurship
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking, Real Estate
Real Estate
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. No two days are the same; the work involves a lot of problem-solving and variety, spanning different project stages from early planning to construction and loan payoff.
2. The role blends business, public policy, and urban planning, offering diverse experiences and utilizing various skill sets.
3. The job description evolves over a project's lifecycle, requiring adaptation and a dynamic approach to problem-solving
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your current role?
The thing I enjoy most about being a project manager is that no two days are the same. I plan out my schedule to a rough degree, but in many cases, I don't know what will hit me when I start work on any given day.
There's a lot of problem-solving that I have to do. Things might come up, and I've got to set aside what I had planned to focus on putting out a fire. So, there's a lot of variety.
If I have three to five projects, some might be in the early stages, and some might be in a construction phase. Others might be in a stage where I'm focusing more on lease-up or paying off the construction loan. Over the course of a project's lifetime, my whole job can really change.
I don't have projects in construction right now because I just wrapped up a couple. I went from constantly visiting construction sites to doing more desk work and film work. But it's going to swing back to doing more fieldwork eventually. So, there's really just so much variety, and I appreciate that.
I also really like that nonprofit real estate development really exists at the intersection of many different disciplines. When I was in college deciding what I wanted to do, I was studying business, and there were things about that which were interesting to me. I was also dabbling a bit in political science, but didn't know if that was something I wanted to commit to.
I ended up studying urban planning for my graduate degree, which is very design-heavy. So, I think in this role, I'm doing business stuff, public policy stuff, and urban planning work as well, just depending on the day.
I get to do a lot of different things and have to wear many different hats, thinking with both sides of my brain. I think that's a really cool perk of the job.
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