Diary of a real estate student | Professional - print | Property Week

Diary of a real estate student | Professional - print | Property Week

As part of Property Week’s “adoption” of London South Bank University’s real estate masters course for 2011, we are documenting the trials and tribulations of five of its students. This is the first of 23-year-old Joe Vallely’s monthly updates

“Unfortunately, on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.”

For me this was an early Christmas present from a global real estate firm arriving in my inbox on Christmas Eve. The Office for National Statistics says graduate unemployment is at its highest rate in more than a decade, and double the rate before the start of the recession.

So I feel it is essential to be patient and persistent. Further, I prefer to focus my attention on the markets, and look forward to being involved in prime rents returning even more strongly in the City and West End in 2011.

My enthusiasm and determination to forge a career in property is because of the pace, competition and opportunity to be part of the industry’s physical fabric. For this reason I’m glad to be studying such a comprehensive course at London South Bank University.