James Workman, NALP, CAM

RPM Graduating Senior/ Manager in Training

Ball State University/The Sexton Companies

James will graduate in May 2009 with a degree in Residential Property Management and a Minor in Hospitality Management. He has also have received the award of Outstanding Senior within the RPM major at Ball State University. 

I decided to major in Residential Property Management (RPM) after my freshman year by chance. I was taking a great deal of business classes and was not really enjoying them and wanted something more hands-on. After looking up other majors on Ball State’s Web site, I came across Residential Property Management. I knew I wanted a management degree and I have always had an interest in real estate, so I figured I would check it out. I contacted Dr. Carla Earhart, the RPM director, and was invited to attend an RPM call out meeting. I was able to meet current RPM students and staff. After attending the meeting and hearing about all the awesome experiences the students have to learn and grow inside and outside the class room, I was hooked and declared the major that fall semester of my sophomore year.

I knew this was the major for me after just a couple of weeks of classes in my first semester in the program. I am a hands-on learner and this major is great for that type of learning. You are not just in the classroom hearing about the industry, you are out in the industry with job shadows, field trips, apartment shops, and other activities that are enjoyable and help you relate what you have learned in the class room to what is out there in the industry.

I completed my internship this past summer prior to starting my senior year at Ball State.  I had the opportunity to intern with The Sexton Companies in Indianapolis Indiana. My experience with The Sexton Companies was awesome, I received a paid internship which also allowed me to earn leasing bonuses for the apartments which I helped lease and a free furnished apartment for the summer. I had a great experience having the opportunity to work throughout the company seeing each part of the apartment industry.  I worked onsite as a leasing professional for a large part of the internship in both a high-end luxury apartment community downtown as well as a traditional market rate community. I also had the opportunity to spend several days at the corporate office, which is based out of Indianapolis working throughout each department learning about all aspects of the apartment industry from marketing, corporate leasing, accounting, collections and HR.  I also had to opportunity to shadow the district managers and attend a managers meeting. The internship was a really great experience and it was special to apply what I learned at Ball State to working in the industry.

One of the biggest highlights of the RPM program is the direct connection with the apartment industry and the job and internship placement. Ball State University is one of only a few other schools in the country, which offer Residential Property Management as a major, minor, or graduate degree.

Our program is also set up with an advisory board, a group of apartment management companies from across that country that students are able to network with. These companies also attend an event called “Face to Face” that Ball State hosts each year exclusively for RPM students. At the Face to Face event, students have the option to give a small presentation about themselves to all the board members prior to having a networking lunch and individual interviews with up to six or more of the companies throughout the day. During this event most students are able gain their internships and find full-time employment after graduation. Some students have shared that the Face to Face event is almost like speed dating—for jobs. With the current state of economy this event is a huge benefit for the students because potential employers are being brought to them. We don’t have to go and look for jobs or internship because they are right there with dozens of possibilities for employment.

With my experience through the Ball State RPM program I have had a great deal of opportunities come my way. The RPM program has a several scholarships which are rewarded each year to RPM majors. This past year, I had the honor of receiving several of the RPM scholarships. One of the best scholarships was the travel scholarship trip to the 2008 National Apartment Association Education Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Florida. During the conference I had the opportunity to meet the NAA President as well as attend education sessions on the current issues and trends in the apartment industry. The conference was a blast and an awesome opportunity to network with some of the leading companies and people in the apartment industry.

I am looking forward to several things following graduation. One of the first things is the opportunity to start working at my new job as a Manger-in-Training with The Sexton Companies. The other is being able to take all the knowledge that I have been taught over the past four years and put it to good use. I am excited to start working in the industry and begin the next chapter of my life.

The piece of advice to someone who is interested in earning a degree in property management is to get involved in the program. Over the past years I have taken part in the Ball State Residential Property Management Association and currently hold the title of President. This student organization is an awesome way to become involved in the RPM program. The networking opportunities as well as the personal benefits of belonging to RPMA are great for students to have an inside look at the potential opportunities to attend events and learn about the apartment industry. The sooner someone becomes involved in the program, the higher the benefit for the student.

The Ball State RPM program just celebrated its 10th year as a major here this past March (2009). The program is continuing to expand and develop each year offering more industry based classes and assisting in helping students gain their National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP) designation as well as the Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) through the National Apartment Association Education Institute. The program also offers smaller classes, so you are able to ask your professor questions and they are able to relate it to their own personal experience of working in the apartment industry. Over my past four years at Ball State University, the RPM program also has launched online classes for students who wish to take them. In fact the RPM minor can be completed totally online. The list of the advantages of the RPM program can go on and on. If you think this may be just what you are looking for check us out on the Web at www.bsu.edu/fcs/rpm/   .