I want to get into the Real Estate business?

I am a graduate but the degree has nothing to do with Real Estate, but I do have about 10 years administration and 6 years debt collection experience.

Can someone tell me how to get into the Real Estate business, what qualifications/experience I need and if it is a profitable area of business to get into?

Many Thanks

Depends on where you are. If you are in the UK and have a degree then you can take a 1 year post-graduate course in property (find a course that is accredited to the Royal Institue of Chartered Surveyors) and then you will be able to find a job with any of the big real estate firms, or at least get on a graduate programme somewhere.
I am a real estate executive in London, although i was did my degree in the States. I did a degree in English and then a one year conversion course at a university in London in Real Estate Management and got on a graduate programme with a big firm. They then train you up for two years and then you have to write what is called a critical anaylsis and present it to a panel of three professionals who question you on it. If you pass, you're then a Member of the RICS and get the letters MRICS after your name.

Overall, I have found the real estate business very profitable, its easy to get promoted and work up the ladder once you have your MRICS qualification and the financial incentives are great. Also there are so many different areas to work in - you can let office space, retail space, buy and sell large buildings or portfolios of property, be a planning advisor, be a building surveyor, an estate agent, work with local authorities to develop land into new homes or leisure complexes - the list is endless.

Try www.rics.org for more information - and good luck!!

You need to take a real estate class.