Career Path Of A Real Estate Broker At Berkadia
Sydney's career path began with a real estate finance concentration at Cal Poly, fueled by family influence and an internship at CBRE, a future competitor. After a leasing agent role at Asset Living and an unexpected rejection from Cushman & Wakefield's Prep Program, a fortuitous turn of events led to their current Senior Financial Analyst position at Berkadia, where they "got to dive right into the brokerage side."
Real Estate Finance, Career Path in Finance, Networking and Job Search, Internships and Entry-Level Jobs, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sydney Ladrech
Senior Financial Analyst
Berkadia
California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obsipo
N/A
Business Management & Admin
Real Estate
Real Estate
Video Highlights
1. Sydney's career path highlights a combination of academic preparation, relevant internships, and networking. She pursued real estate finance as a concentration in college, which stemmed from a family interest in real estate and was reinforced by her internships.
2. Her internships at CBRE (a major competitor to her current firm) and Asset Living provided practical experience in brokerage and property management, giving her a well-rounded understanding of the real estate industry.
3. Sydney's experience with the canceled Cushman & Wakefield program demonstrates the importance of networking and adaptability. While initially rejected, she connected with her current boss from the program's interview process, leading to her current role. This highlights that setbacks can lead to unforeseen opportunities.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college and any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
In college, I studied business administration at Cal Poly. In the business school, you have to concentrate in a specific area by the end of your second year.
I chose real estate finance, which wasn't one of the main introductory courses. When you start a business program, you take intro courses in marketing, finance, and accounting. Since I hadn't taken those, choosing real estate finance was kind of a shot in the dark.
However, my dad works in real estate, and his family owns and operates some properties. It's always been an interest of mine. Once I started taking those classes, I found I was very passionate about it.
Between my junior and senior year, I interned for CBRE one summer. I worked on an investment sales brokerage team out of Sacramento. It's funny because now that's our main competitor when we're pitching deals. The industry is really small, but that was great experience. Working with a well-known firm in brokerage was valuable.
I also worked for a company called Asset Living throughout college. I was a leasing agent at the largest student housing property in San Luis Obispo, Mustang Village. That role came with many challenges and interesting situations, but overall, it was good. I did cold calling, sales, and property tours, which align with what I do now.
Towards the end of my senior year, I interviewed for the Prep Program at Cushman & Wakefield. It's a rotational program where you spend about two to three months in different areas like construction management, asset services, leasing, and investment sales. I thought it would be a cool way to decide on a specific real estate facet to pursue.
I ended up going to a super day where nine candidates interviewed with three executives. They ranked us, and I thought my interviews went well. I received a rejection letter, but a month later, my current boss, who was one of the interviewers, reached out. He thought I had gotten into the program and found out it had been canceled, so no one was hired.
He then interviewed me for his team, and I was able to get the position. It all worked out. In hindsight, I'm very glad with where I ended up. I got to dive right into brokerage instead of pausing for a year and hoping for a position at the end.