Real estate internship opens window to possible career
When two students discussed the possibility of doing an internship in real estate with the District 214 Center for Career Discovery, the team started knocking on doors to find an opportunity.
Both Maja Wegrowski and Roman Ralon told the district staff they were interested in using an internship to get a hands-on taste of a career in real estate and home sales.
"I wanted to do this because real estate has always interested me," said Maja, a senior at Buffalo Grove High School. "I've been watching realtor and house hunting shows on TV. I wanted to see what the life of a realtor was like off screen, and gain some knowledge about the field."
The Center for Career Discovery staff connected the two students with Julia Nicoll, a local Coldwell Banker real estate agent.
Nicoll hosted Maja and Roman as interns this semester.
"My overall goal was to help them understand how it is to work with buyers and sellers, and to have them really be part of the process," Nicoll said.
For instance, Prospect High School student Roman joined Nicoll for the first meeting with a set of new clients interested in selling their home. Roman was able to experience the whole process of putting a house up for sale: Meeting with the sellers, pricing the home, signing the listing agreement, taking photos to market the listing.
Nicoll, who earned a degree in education but has been a realtor for more than 19 years, said, "I think one reason I love helping with this internship is that it's a nontraditional degreed career. I have three kids, and my middle child is trying to figure out her future path. She's asked me, 'Do I have to get a four-year degree?' My thought is how great it is for these kids to participate in an internship in something that can be a full-blown career without a specialized degree. I hope to give these students a taste of a fast-moving, always interesting profession."
Maja said Nicoll accomplished that goal.
"My supervisor has been amazing. She's made sure we're learning something new every day, and exposing us to what it's really like to be a realtor," she said. "We've gotten to see the responsibilities and tasks behind the scenes."
Maja said she's helped match a client with a potential home, worked to collect the community data to include in a listing, learned how to price a home and assisted with marketing ideas as well.
The Center for Career Discovery matches interested juniors and seniors with opportunities for 60-hour traditional internships, and 30-hour micro-internships. Internships are available in a wide variety of fields, with placements within District 214 and at local partner organizations. Students are not paid, but receive credit on their transcripts.
For information about a fall semester internship, talk to a counselor or student success coach, or visit https://d214.smapply.io.
Fall internship applications are due by April 30.
"Personally, I think internships are a great opportunity," Maja said. "If you're looking forward to the future, and passionate about a certain career, an internship can help you see if it's the right career path for you."