Celebrating 20 years in Real Estate

In the United States, we celebrate milestones. It begins with graduation from Kindergarten. In Germany, only PhDs celebrated with cap and gown when I grew up there.

When I graduated with a master’s degree in applied arts from college in Switzerland, there was no ceremony. To celebrate the occasion, our graduating class of nine went on a trip to the Alsace for some Riesling and local cheese.

I was always more interested in the process than the results during my work life. I gloated over finished work for a moment, only wondering how I could have done something different or better. I tend to look forward rather than back. That is true for my first career as a designer and writer and the second as a real estate agent. This tendency may also be a mechanism I learned early in life that lets me forget unpleasant memories.

Losing my job as a creative director only 14 months after we moved to Seattle is something I’d rather forget. In contrast, completing 20 years in my second career is something worth celebrating. Considering that I did not make the switch as a youngster, I can look back with a sense of accomplishment.

When I decided to take the time to celebrate the occasion, a close friend suggested that I capture this milestone with a video. I wrote a script that served as a road map. My interviewer is Scott Burns, a voice actor and long-time friend. As it happened, Scott and I drove the discussion non-stop with no second takes.

The result is 20 minutes of casual banter without commercial interruptions. I invite you to listen to:

Celebrating 20 years in Real Estate
a conversation with Gerhard Ade.