Alumni Success: Meet Austin Cooper, Real Estate Agent

At Hondros College, we are proud to connect with our alumni who are successfully working after receiving their education. We sat down with Austin Cooper, real estate agent and Hondros alumnus of 2013, to see how life has been after becoming a licensed agent.

Austin is a thriving real estate agent for condominium communities in the Columbus, Ohio area. He has been a part of over 50 different contracts and is currently researching real estate investment opportunities. We spoke with Austin about his background, and what made him choose Hondros College to pursue a career in the real estate industry.

What made you decide to take real estate courses with Hondros College?

“After spending years being unhappy with my life, I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to grow; I hadn’t been growing in 10 years and I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I thought about getting my real estate license in high school, and I would have loved to have done it then. Before signing up I shopped around at different brokerages to see what they had to say about all the industry. Everyone I talked to suggested Hondros. I remember calling Hondros and it was extremely easy, which was really convenient. I looked at what Columbus State had to offer, but it was a lot more expensive and you had to go for an entire semester.”

How did you become interested in the real estate industry?

“As a kid, I spent Saturday afternoons attending open houses with my mother and aunt. We would drive through neighborhoods and see all the big mansions and I became fascinated with them and their interior architecture and design. So my love for real estate started at a really young age.”

What did your life look like before you made your career change?

“I was born into a family of engineers. After finishing high school I enrolled in Columbus State and started an internship with a civil engineering firm. But I couldn’t really stand it. Everyone was introverted and that wasn’t me at all, sitting behind a desk. I spent the next four years trying to find my fit and turned to the influences of the party scene. I eventually embarked on a ‘rebirth,’ so to speak, and just wanted to start fresh.”

Austin, what would you say was the most enjoyable part of our real estate courses?

“I completed the courses back-to-back in three weeks. It was a challenge, but I loved every minute of it. My instructors were wonderful and it was awesome how passionate they were about the profession. You go to a typical college and take business classes and those professors don’t own businesses. My real estate instructors did. They get it. They understand the industry.”

All-in-all, how would you summarize your career changing experience?

“I love having my real estate license because if friends and family need to buy a house, then I can help them do that. But my license can take me farther than that. I can become a broker, own my own business, and invest. I look up to the entrepreneurs who are interested in all sorts of things, and help people grow into entrepreneurs themselves.”

The real estate industry is continuing to grow and offers unlimited potential for Austin. Interested in being a part of this booming profession? Call us today at 1.888.HONDROS or visit our website at www.hondros.com and learn how you can jump start your new career!