Ali Bala iliya
New member
To all of you who are struggling with believing in themselves, please let these next few paragraphs be a testimony that you can ACHIEVE and BE anything you desire:
Just for context: Before I obtained my real estate license, I knew my Big Hairy Audacious Goal was to become a real estate developer. I didn't know how - I just knew I was going to get there one way or another. I set a goal to make the transition at the age of 30 - today, I am 26.
A few weeks ago, something in my body kept bugging me to call Portland Housing Bureau to learn how one can be incentivized to develop affordable housing in Portland. I've never developed anything before, but I didn't care -I made the call anyway. I spoke with a lady whose name is Molly. I told Molly straight up, "I want to build affordable housing in Portland. I have had encounters with many great homeless people since moving here and we need to get people off the streets. What do I need to do?" The first question she asked me was if I have a portfolio, I replied "No, but I've represented developers and understand the processes that is required to make a development feasible." She went quiet for a bit then told me I basically didn't have a chance. She heard the passion in my voice though and said, "Ty, email me your resume. Maybe I can put you in front of a developer who might need an assistant so you can get your foot in the door." I thought to myself "ASSISTANT?!" Anyone who knows me knows I am not meant to be anyone's assistant, but I sent the resume over anyway.
A week later, I received an email from the Director of Urban League of Portland asking me to interview for the Housing Developer position at their nonprofit. I responded immediately and said "YES." I went through the interview process - the last interview being a 20 minute presentation. To say I was nervous is a HUGE understatement. But I was not going to let this opportunity slip through my fingers. This is literally everything I said I wanted to do with a BONUS - I'd be building affordable housing for POC in Portland. I honestly couldn't sleep for days after my presentation. I knew I nailed it, but I kept thinking "This can't be real... this can't be real." This Monday, I woke up to the offer letter from Urban League of Portland. I'll be developing affordable housing for my community. This takes me back to my first sentence: If you have a dream, do not put limitations on yourself. Go after it, believe you can accomplish it, and it'll be yours.
I want to express gratitude to God, Molly Rogers at PHB, Urban League, my friends and family.
For those of you who are wondering: My real estate license is still active and I'll continue to devote my expertise to helping buyers and sellers accomplish their residential and commercial real estate goals. If you've read this far, thank you for listening.. I'm excited to serve my city at a larger scale.
Just for context: Before I obtained my real estate license, I knew my Big Hairy Audacious Goal was to become a real estate developer. I didn't know how - I just knew I was going to get there one way or another. I set a goal to make the transition at the age of 30 - today, I am 26.
A few weeks ago, something in my body kept bugging me to call Portland Housing Bureau to learn how one can be incentivized to develop affordable housing in Portland. I've never developed anything before, but I didn't care -I made the call anyway. I spoke with a lady whose name is Molly. I told Molly straight up, "I want to build affordable housing in Portland. I have had encounters with many great homeless people since moving here and we need to get people off the streets. What do I need to do?" The first question she asked me was if I have a portfolio, I replied "No, but I've represented developers and understand the processes that is required to make a development feasible." She went quiet for a bit then told me I basically didn't have a chance. She heard the passion in my voice though and said, "Ty, email me your resume. Maybe I can put you in front of a developer who might need an assistant so you can get your foot in the door." I thought to myself "ASSISTANT?!" Anyone who knows me knows I am not meant to be anyone's assistant, but I sent the resume over anyway.
A week later, I received an email from the Director of Urban League of Portland asking me to interview for the Housing Developer position at their nonprofit. I responded immediately and said "YES." I went through the interview process - the last interview being a 20 minute presentation. To say I was nervous is a HUGE understatement. But I was not going to let this opportunity slip through my fingers. This is literally everything I said I wanted to do with a BONUS - I'd be building affordable housing for POC in Portland. I honestly couldn't sleep for days after my presentation. I knew I nailed it, but I kept thinking "This can't be real... this can't be real." This Monday, I woke up to the offer letter from Urban League of Portland. I'll be developing affordable housing for my community. This takes me back to my first sentence: If you have a dream, do not put limitations on yourself. Go after it, believe you can accomplish it, and it'll be yours.
I want to express gratitude to God, Molly Rogers at PHB, Urban League, my friends and family.
For those of you who are wondering: My real estate license is still active and I'll continue to devote my expertise to helping buyers and sellers accomplish their residential and commercial real estate goals. If you've read this far, thank you for listening.. I'm excited to serve my city at a larger scale.
