<p>I am a sophomore female at Mississippi State University with about a 3.5 GPA. My major is currently Management of Construction and Land Development (MCL) that is in the College of Business and INdustry. They killed the major and are trying to direct people of my major into the new major of Business Construction Science in the College of Architecture. I do not want to switch because I like the business aspect of my current major and do not want to switch to anything in the College of Architecture. I am starting to question my major, wondering if I should switch to Real Estate, and just be a real estate agent. I love construction and buildings but am not really sure which career path I really want. I feel like after I graduate, my only job option with my current MCL major is a project manager, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I do not know enough about my options to make my mind up about my major. Because they got rid of my major, I feel like there is no one who really knows a lot about my major to encourage me. Also, people ask me all the time, what is the difference between a contractor, developer, and builder and I am not really sure how to answer. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!!</p>
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I am starting to question my major, wondering if I should switch to Real Estate, and just be a real estate agent.
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<p>A real estate major allows you to do a lot more than simply be a real estate agent.</p>
<p>Per your school's website that major will help you in the following areas:</p>
<p>Appraiser
Residential / Commercial Sales Agent
Residential / Commercial Broker
Leasing Agent
Mortgage Lender
Real Estate Developer
Investment Advisor / Consultant
Market Analyst / Consultant
Asset Manager / Property Manager
Site Selector / Acquisitions
Corporate Real Estate Manager </p>
<p>If you are interested in the business side then you should definitely switch to Real Estate (or possibly finance). The real estate major is essentially a specialized finance major.</p>
<p>A developer is the business person that "develops" new real estate. Donald Trump is an example of a developer. He creates value by finding a market need and filling it. </p>
<p>Example: I see that City_A has very few apartments built in the last 10 years, but the ones that do exist are leased at 98% or better. I know that if we build a new apartment complex and get the same rents the other properties are getting, then we will make a profit (based on my financial analysis). However, I know of a prime site to build on that is right by the entertainment district...this will get me even higher rents than the other apartments. Plus, the market's tastes have changed a bit in the past couple of years...people really want internet cafes in their apartment complexes. None of the other apartments have that but I am in talks with Starbucks to put a full service cafe in this new apartment complex. As a developer, I must now find equity partners, get a loan, purchase the land, hire an architect, hire an engineering firm, hire a general contractor, work with the city to make sure our development will be ok with them, etc. </p>
<p>The general contractor (who is sometimes referred to as a builder) is the one who oversees the actual construction of the apartments. The general contractor's firm may do some of the work, and they may use subcontractors to do other specialized work (example: electrical contractors, plumbing contractors, etc).</p>