You're Doing What With Your Major?

 

Spotlight on UK Alumnus Jared Bonshire

Major: BS Telecommunications (2001)

Current Career: Broker Associate at Cushman & Wakefield

Please provide a short summary of your career path from college to present.

Wow, keeping it short could be difficult.  After graduation, I was involved in a startup company, partnering with someone I thought was a visionary. However, as a 24 year old I was given the opportunity to write, produce, direct, shoot, and edit a pilot for a TV show aired on the Fox Sports network, called Big Blue Nation TV.  In addition to production of the TV show, I also wrote articles for the website and magazine and assisted in the editing of both media formats.When my time with BBN (which became Nation Media) came to an end, I attended graduate film school at the Savannah College of Art and Design for one year, when I was offered a position to run Inside Kentucky back in Kentucky, which was a chance to return to the industry I had grown to love. Unfortunately this, too, did not lead me to where I wanted to go, as it dissolved after a short year of operation. This reality was devastating, and I proceeded to work different dead end part-time positions when my then girlfriend (now wife) and I decided to move to Florida.  I felt I needed a career path change, and I had always had an interest in the field of real estate.  It was 2004, and real estate in Florida was booming.  With family in the area, we made the leap, packing as much into three cars as possible, and a new life was born. Eventually, I landed as a commercial real estate broker for Cushman & Wakefield (one of the world’s largest real estate brokerage firms). I also followed my passion of Kentucky sports and TV/film production,running a website (KentuckyInk.com) and partnering in the production company Neverending Light Productions with a good friend from film school. Recently, Neverending Light wrote, directed and won an Emmy Award for the short documentary “Jacobs Turn.”  Also, I have been blessed to have won numerous awards in the real estate brokerage business.  Kentucky Ink was sold in 2010, and now operates as Catspause on the 247sports network.

Did you have a mentor? If yes, how was this helpful for you?

Carl Nathe, who I worked closely with in college, was a great mentor for me. He always taught me to never limit my goals and to always push for what I wanted in life. Although we do not stay in touch as much as I would like, he has always offered a reference to who I am and what I stand for, and I’ll always be grateful for the two years I was able to work alongside him.

Describe your best boss/supervisor.

My current partner and boss, Lee Morris, has been absolutely one of the greatest influences I have ever encountered in my career. He has not only taught me how to execute the profession of real estate brokerage with the upmost character and professionalism, but also how to balance work life, work ethic, and understanding. He has shown me that work isn’t just about awardswon, the money made, or the accolades received, but also about the relationships you make and the lives you help improve.

What do you do for networking and professional development?

I am involved in numerous organizations, from the local Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC), National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), CCIM, and more.  Most important, I’m a jovial person, I enjoy making people laugh and keeping a smile on my face. Life is far too short not to enjoy. While I make sure that I understand my business and how to handle it on a day to day basis, I also always want to be sure I am easily approachable and trustworthy, which helps networking immensely.

How would you describe a successful job search strategy?

This is a difficult question because it is so different for every individual, but the best job search strategy is understanding not only what you have done, but what you can do. You will never continue to progress in your profession without a thorough understanding of your own capability, which may not match your job title. Being true to this skillset will not only help you align your skills to the highest pay, but will also provide for a much happier work existence.

When going through the hiring process, what do you look for in a job candidate?

Honesty, sense of humor, and someone who is simply themselves in the interview chair.  Too many people have come in to interview with me feeling as if they need to detail key words.  That is true of a resume, it gets you in the door, but absolutely throw away that mindset the second you walk into the interview. People hire people they think they can work with, not just who has the best credentials.

What career advice would you give to students and alumni?

Keep an open mind.  This country has its flaws, but it has a ton of great opportunities that you can take advantage of if you keep an open mind.Make good decisions in your personal life, bad ones can greatly alter your path.  Always listen and learn from those who have succeeded before you.  They may not always have the right answers, but they will always have answers you can use to guide your own perspective and decisions. Most of all, do what you believe will make you happy.  If you follow the path that others believe you should take, you may be successful financially but there will be something missing in your life that cannot be replaced.  And I am not saying that you should only do something fun in your career.  Sometimes work isn’t about doing what is fun.  But do something that challenges you, that pushes you, that keeps you up at night because you are thinking about what you need to do tomorrow, or how to solve a problem, or how to approach it differently.  This will lead you in the direction you were meant to go.