As Brent Dahlstrom completes his real estate major coursework, he has already become a licensed real estate agent. Brent demonstrates how a student’s professional experiences energize a UNI Business education.
“I have enjoyed my real estate classes, but you have to take your learning outside of the classroom,” says Brent. “Combining your education with internships and student organization activities provide practical knowledge for everyday career responsibilities.”
After discovering a career path he enjoys, Brent now realizes that the UNI Real Estate Program’s courses enrich students’ business skills.
“UNI is the only state university with a four-year degree in real estate, so students can’t become more of an expert in real estate than with the education they will receive here,” he says. “I’m 21 years old, and I already feel confident in my understanding of real estate law after taking the course.”
Brent is complementing his Real Estate major with a Finance major, opening up more potential career possibilities.
In December 2005, Brent and a team of UNI real estate majors created more professional opportunities for themselves when they won the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) University Challenge. The team developed a proposal for the best property use of an empty, 3,000 acre lot, exploring various cost decisions, visiting the site and consulting with UNI real estate alumni. The UNI team’s competition-winning proposal advises investors to build a single-tenant office building with a long-term lease.
“Along with other reasons, the location made it ideal for a corporate headquarters because the lot is situated on a hill with visibility from the road,” Brent says.
For winning the competition, the NAIOP awarded the UNI Real Estate Program $2,000, and provided a group of UNI students with new insights into their future careers. As part of the project, Brent expanded his Web page development skills by creating a Web page for the UNI team’s presentation. The Web page design he used for the NAIOP University Challenge is now the basis for the Web page he uses to sell properties as a real estate agent at Peoples Company in Cedar Falls. By providing information on the Web page, real estate developers have access to all of the information concerning a property.
Through his academic and professional experiences, Brent understands the importance of being innovative in the Real Estate field.
“Your ideas are what set you apart from your competition,” says Brent. “It’s easy for businesses to get used to a certain way of doing business, but as an entrepreneur, you need to be ready to change with the times.”
Updated 15-Sep-08
