Today, Memorial Day, we celebrate those who have proudly served our country. With that in mind, we’d like to introduce you to Michael Frederickson, a 27-year army veteran who joined CENTURY 21 Family Realty last year.
We sat down with Michael to hear about his army service and what brought him to real estate.
C21: Can you tell us about your military service?
MF: I was in the army for 27 years. I retired last year as Master Sgt. and Cavalry Scout. I worked as a career counselor for my fellow soldiers, with the goal of maintaining the all-volunteer force. I’d meet with each individual, hear what they most wanted to do and try to find them a job they would like and would fit their skills.
C21: How do the skills from your role as counselor transfer to your work in real estate?
MF: As a career counselor, you are charged with taking care of your commander and taking care of each soldier. You have to listen to what they need and help them find it. The same is true in real estate.
C21: When did you join the CENTURY 21 System?
MF: When I was in the army, one of the men who worked for me was Jose “Joe” Pomales. When Joe was getting ready to move on from the army, he was considering real estate. He worked for a few different brokerages as an independent agent, then CENTURY 21 started recruiting him. Joe joined CENTURY 21 just as I was getting ready to retire. He offered me the opportunity come work for him part time.
C21: How did you enjoy your first few months in real estate?
MF: I started January and got licensed last June. In all honesty, when I first started doing this full time, I was used to knowing what to do in my job every day and what needs to happen – I had been doing it for 27 years! When I started at CENTURY 21, I didn’t know how to do everything yet. I didn’t have all the answers and it was hard. When I joined the army, there was a sergeant there who told me what to do. As soon as that difference clicked in my head, I knew everything would be ok. I just had to learn to do my job again.
Now, I enjoy the flexibility of real estate. That flexibility provides me the opportunity to spend more time with my children.
C21: What is the biggest lesson you learned?
MF: As you step away from the army, you are beginning a new career. You have to spend the time and the effort to become as proficient in your new career as you did in the military.
C21: How was your team at CENTURY 21 Family Realty helped with the transition?
MF: In our office, we have a bullpen where new agents sit. When a call comes in and you don’t know the answer right away, there is always someone there to answer your questions. Everyone in our office is so helpful. Joe also has training every Wednesday. Some offices, no one teaches new agents how to succeed, here we have great resources. We really are a family. It’s such a wonderful place to work.
C21: How do you spread the word to other veterans who may be thinking about a career in real estate?
MF: The army does have a program for transitioning to retirement, leaving the army and becoming a civilian. Joe has created flyers about that transition from the army to real estate. We have ten veterans in our office and Joe still serves in the Army Reserve.
C21: It sounds like you and Joe have created a welcoming environment for veterans looking to move into real estate. We thank you both for your service and are proud to have you as members of the CENTURY 21 System.
Syndicated via Century 21 Blog. Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/century21/wAvv/~3/I6Ba97dxmOQ/
