Has anyone found out yet if it’s possible to “have it all”? Finding work that fulfills us while satisfying the needs of our family isn’t easy. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, about two-thirds of agents got into real estate because of the flexible schedule. Not all of us are made to stick to a 9-5 way of thinking- some of us are determined to do more so we can put more into our families and the world around us. Read on to find out how Jennifer Clark blazed her own trail in real estate. She shares her story of building a career through relentless dedication and incredible drive. Jennifer shows us it is possible to build a successful real estate career while putting family first.
I always thought I’d be a dolphin trainer. I wanted to be a marine biologist and train dolphins; I even requested a college application from a school in Cape Cod. But then I got cold feet and decided perhaps my science skills weren’t enough for marine biology! Which is funny because I’m from a small town of 300 people just north of Marshalltown, Iowa.
I ended up going to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) for accounting. I quickly switched majors in my first semester. My degree is in finance with a concentration in real estate so I’ve always been interested in real estate, unless you want to talk about my jobs growing up: detasseling, waitressing and working in Hy-Vee customer service while putting myself through college. I worked 40+ hours a week to pay for school.
When a Real Estate Career is About More Than Just Houses
I never considered myself to be a salesperson. I loved finance and had a cousin in real estate so when I saw UNI offered coursework in real estate, I thought ‘Sure, why not!’
I’m not from Des Moines so I had to get to know people here and grow my sphere. I went through a period where I was a single mom and had to balance working a ton when I didn’t have the boys and then prioritizing when I did have them to be the best mom I could be. I’m proud to say I don’t miss those important milestones anymore and real estate has afforded me that opportunity.
The biggest joy for me is helping families and becoming part of their lives as well as becoming friends. I’ve worked with a few families I first met when their kids were newborns and now I’m helping them as those kids are graduating high school.
Being a REALTOR® is more than a career! You truly are someone’s friend, confidant, counselor and so much more. It’s never about the homes, it’s all about the people.
Ready to break free of the mundane and build your life the way you want it to be? Find out more about what it means to join the relentless team at C21®. Check out our website to learn how to build a successful real estate business.
