I am D O N E w/ the industry.

I am D O N E w/ the industry. It has gone to sh** since COVID.

Where do I go from here? I feel like as a PM, I have many transferable skills into a new industry. However, I haven't received any callbacks in at least a year from employers outside of multifamily without a substantial pay cut. A sales position does not interest me in the slightest which has prevented me from looking much into the vendor side of things. I cannot work from my car and pop up on PMs all day.

Get me out of here!!!

I think the hardest part about the job since covid is the employees, MAN, it’s so hard to find good, reliable employees now!
I’ve been thinking about making a switch to either the AP side, or maybe switching to one of the softwares that I’m super familiar with, either Onesite or Coupa. I am leaving the continental US for Puerto Rico in 5 years and even though I CAN retire at that time, I’m thinking I’d prefer to switch to position I can do remotely but still within the same kind of industry that I’ve dedicated 15 years of my life to so far.

Anonymous member agreed. The employees I had precovid were great. Promoted all 3 of them at one of my communities. Covid hit. I left the working world completely and stayed home for a little bit. We did the online school stuff with my kiddo. Then hopped into commercial mgmt for a year. When I came back to multifamily, I called 2 of the 3 ladies and they came back to work with me. Most of the people I've had since then, lameeeeee.

Anonymous member I think switching over to the software side is a really good idea. Good luck with hitting your 5 yr goals! 😊

I agree with you about the industry that I have been in my entire adult life. Since Covid it's not fun anymore. Property owners and management are out of control on their expectations. I have semi retired and am stepping back and going back to leasing. Excited for the prospect of doing the fun part of the job. Helping people find a home. I don't understand that you don't want to do sales, but isn't that what you have been doing all along? Apartment industry is nothing but sales. Difference is that if you get a bad apple you are stuck with them for sometimes years, outside sales, you can walk away and never have to see them again.

Kathy Winfrey Chaney and HR, recruiting, accounting, bookkeeping, counseling, legal, AP, collections, marketing and soooooo much more!😉

Kathy Winfrey Chaney it isn't exactly the sales role itself that I dont want. I really dont like driving around. If I was out in the field, I'dgo crazy. It really stresses me so I prefer as short of a commute as possible without living onsite lol. I really dont drive more than I have to. However, I have considered remote sales because that would be different of course. It would just be at the bottom of my preference list of careers.

Kathy Winfrey Chaney I started out in 1998 as an assistant. Then I quickly became a community manager and did that for 22 years. Here I am at the age of 50 and decided to step down and do what is fun….leasing of single family homes. My days are now enjoyable and I don’t have the stress I once had. I love it. 🥰

Homebuilding! So many of my skills transferred with a national new homebuilder!

I completely agree with your statement. COVID changed everything I loved about this industry to everything I despise. After 20 plus years I left and now work as a bookkeeper/office manager from the comfort of my home and I absolutely love it. I continue to follow these groups as a reminder of why I left and don’t want to go back. You have many transferable skills. Break down everything you do and get Chat GPT to help you revise your resume for any new position you are interested in. I do have some friends who work on the software side for Yardi etc so that is also an option. Good luck. Hang in there and don’t let them break your spirit.

I switched to commercial real estate and it’s been a game changer and so much room for growth. I came in as a Property Coordinator and handle Operations and Logistical side of things with leases and assets. So maybe an idea! Good luck!

I went to HOA management after 12 years in the industry. Many of my coworkers were in Multifamily before as well. Not for everyone, my husband tried it and did not like it, but I like it better. No leasing, managing staff, and I work from home most of the time.

I am so sorry. I’m from the south and we never closed our corporate office during covid. We had two departments working in close cubicles so those went hybrid and spread out. Interestingly, no one in the office got sick until Dec 2021. We simply allowed people to borrow whatever PTO they needed but don’t come to work even with the sniffles. It worked for us. Also, the southeast is a landlord friendly area and we didn’t have the massive unpaid rent. We worked with our residents with payment plans and for the most part, those were honored.
I retired recently and actually grieved my job and my friends at work.
I hope you will find a job that becomes part of you- one where you can grieve when you retire. Hugs

Go work for one of the software companies you use. They all NEED people with realworld onsite experience but also with their specific tools.
I was on the software side for many years before making a recent change out of the world entirely. The money is great also

A year ago, I switched to manufactured housing communities and RV parks after 25 years in multi-family. It’s so much easier!! They own their own homes, so way less maintenance and bs.

Don’t count out the vendor side!! I switched to outdoor hardscape sales a year and a half ago and LOVE the freedom, learning a new industry, remote working, and above all people are happy not yelling when we complete a project!! There are great companies out there that do not treat you like a sales person! Our skills as PMs really transfer to project management as well!! Good Luck!

Definitely don’t mind showing you the vendor side you like it better in sure

I switched to accounting and worked remote for my same company. Kept my tenure and benefits.

I recommend hiring a professional to meet with you about your transferable skills and help you redo your resume. Resumes are so specific these days with key words and what not. In general the resume landscape has changed so very much in the last few years with scanning systems that will auto reject you etc. The cost is about $400 for resume only $800 for full on resume + LinkedIn profile redo. I have a contact I’m happy to share if needed.