Question if I may please and I mean no disrespect. When did a Manager position require you to have a Bachelor’s Degree?
I am the first to admit education is very important, but it almost seems this is required instead of on the job experience. Seems it’s on every other ad just the salaries haven’t changed. Thank you again no disrespect just been wondering.
BTW not asking as a random question as I have been in the industry 30 plus years. Just seeing this now that I am in the job hunt.
It's honestly ridiculous. Manager positions don't pay enough to require a degree. I know people with degrees working at Starbucks because most degrees are all but worthless in this country. It's a way of weeding out certain types of people.
It’s just like most any other job. While very few actually require that level of education, when the labor pool has options then they typically just raise the requirements as a tool. Been that way for decades, BS or BA never was designed to provide specific employment training. It is merely an general indicator of a persons desire and ability to develop their minds further is all.
I’m 15 years in the game and only have one semester of college. Companies still want me. I hope. I think they want more out of everyone. You have to do the PM shit and all the other shit too. Degrees can be overrated. I recently found out that I make more than a lot of people with degrees. There are still companies that still look at track record and not just the paper.
It’s on every ad nowadays and the salary has dropped big time or changed to hourly! The “leadership team” needs to cover the office for 5 days and regroup!
Retired now 3 years after 35 years in Property Management and I would like someone to tell me exactly how a classroom is going to prepare you for the many, many hats a Property Manager wears from one minute to the next. I doubt there is any other business that is so demanding of it's employees such as on call 365/24/7 regardless of who, what, when or where? Certainty a degree would be beneficial in dealing with financials and who wouldn't want a salary a Masters would bring but the everyday, all day demands on time, patience, empathy, compassion, focus, communication, dedication, multitask, multitask, multitask and leadership will not be found in a classroom. Everyday I am more grateful for the years I spent in the workforce but it sure is a different world today. God Bless each and every Property Manager and their teams, you all sure deserve it.
My company prefers a degree, but we have several managers without one, and it is only a preference. A degree shows discipline, and many people who have degrees have gained great communication, problem solving and analytical skills. However, a lot of others have gained these skills through other avenues, one simply being life. Experience speaks volumes and some of the best managers I know don’t have degrees. However, I am a proponent of higher education in property management . It is so much more complex than it used to be. I am fortunate to work for a company that values education and helps with tuition payments. Through this program I am actually working towards my Master’s.
I'm a Regional Director, I supervise 4 Regional Managers and I don't have a degree. I do have 22 years in the industry, my CAPS & my CPM. You don't need a degree to move to the top if you have experience and the drive to be successful. As far as all of my employers have been concerned my designations are my degrees, both of which I got while I was a Community Manager. If you want to be a CM there are a ton of places that don't require the degree.
I hire people without degrees quite frequently, but my default ad has degree required. I think there are a couple of reasons for this. #1, it adds a bit of gravitas to the situation, and lets job applicants know that the job is not for those who don't have the education (or experience) to handle it. #2 A college degree does give those who don't come up in the industry a few skills that are needed for the position (hopefully). Critical thinking, accurate writing, various business and social skills. You can acquire these skills in life, but having college listed implies that you do. But I will 100% take an experienced PM over a graduate, and I would encourage you to apply anyway!
Thank you Marianne, you made my day. Been doing this Property Manager & Administrator in excess of 28 years and found every aspect you describe to be woefully true. Job descriptions never come close to actual job duties & amount of YOUR time the position consumes.