SAN FRANCISCO—Wouldn't it be convenient if someone had clear, intelligent answers to most of your CRE-related questions? Problem solved. Nina J. Gruen, a.k.a. Ms. Real Estate, a.k.a. the principal sociologist overseeing market research and analysis at Gruen Gruen + Associates, is here to answer readers' questions.

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Dear Ms. Real Estate,

I plan to complete my undergraduate degree in philosophy by January 1, 2015, although I won't officially graduate until May 2015. I am considering a career in the real estate industry and anticipate applying to graduate school this fall for 2016. I would appreciate your advice as to whether I would be better off going for a graduate degree in real estate or architecture – a field in which I have always had a keen interest.

—A Wide-Eyed Sophist

Dear Sophist:

These life changing decisions are always challenging! My first recommendation is not to be in such a haste to enroll in graduate school. Instead of enrolling in grad school now, you may be better off postponing to 2017. In the meantime, you should attempt, and hopefully succeed in, obtaining a job or internship with either a planning/architectural firm or a development company to have on the ground experience before committing both the time and dollars that a graduate program involves. While one can obtain a great deal of useful knowledge in graduate school, to learn what you like and can do best, real life experience beats the classroom every time.

Since you indicated your major is philosophy, I am sure you are a very smart young man. At least in my era—admittedly many long years ago—the smartest students in the humanities programs were in philosophy or physics.

I do understand the appeal of architecture, which requires an aptitude for both spatial and design relationships. I would like to point out, however, that even if you have an above average propensity for the above skills, I assume that achieving above average financial success is not a prime motivator. I like to advise my younger friends who want to enjoy a career in architecture that they should seriously consider marrying a rich spouse.