![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2018\/09\/Simon-Stone-282x300.jpg\")
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Due to your profession, you have been deeply involved with the London landscape for many years. In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between the city now and during the time you were studying?<\/strong> What advice would you offer a graduate who is unsure about what to do as a future career?<\/strong> What have you found the most rewarding aspect of volunteering in our mentoring scheme?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>I find it an honour and a privilege to help younger people follow their dreams. I really do. I think that education is the key to our entire future. You don\u2019t have to get your fingers burned to know not to put your hand in an oven \u2013 it\u2019s one of these things where if you can pass on experiences and help people, that\u2019s part of the privileges of\u2026 I was going to use the word \u201csuccess\u201d. But you know, I\u2019ve been qualified over 40 years, and I\u2019ve loved my career, and therefore if I can pass on any of that enthusiasm and help point people in the right direction, I find it pleasurable to do so.<\/p>\n Metrus has many iconic buildings in its portfolio; do you have a favourite building in London?\u00a0<\/strong> What tips or advice would you give a mentee looking to get the most out of the mentoring scheme?<\/strong> Finally, is there anything you\u2019d like to add?<\/strong> I am very proud of what the University has created and is creating. London is a great city and the University of Westminster by its name is ideally located at the centre of everything. I think it has a great opportunity to be right at the forefront of our future development and prosperity, and I\u2019m delighted that the University\u2019s mood is now to spread the word.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Are you interested in contributing to our award-winning mentoring scheme? We would love to hear from you! Please visit the webpage<\/a> to find out more. Or if you\u2019re a student looking to participate in the scheme, visit the careers and development page here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since graduating from the School of Architecture and the Built Environment with a Diploma in Urban Estate Management in 1976, University of Westminster alumnus Simon Stone has had over 40 years of continuous experience in property management. Now a Director…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":246,"featured_media":1082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-interviews","category-opportunities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/246"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe pace of the improvement of technology. It has caused a ripple effect on several parts of the built environment. In fact, one of my fist jobs straight after university was with a company who were said to have one of the first computers in an office in London. The computer was as big as this room, and it was binary! I mean, it is just ridiculous how primitive it was by today\u2019s standard. But then we thought we were the bee\u2019s knees because it was so revolutionary.<\/p>\n
\nI think that you should have some idea of what interests you and what fascinates you, and I think you should take away the monetary aspects of the decision-making process. In team sport some people are naturally captains, and some are more relaxed and would rather be led. So, are you a team player? Are you innovative? Are you good at problem solving? These are the types of questions to explore yourself and find out what interests and motivates you. If you have some ideas you should research and speak to people, maybe try holiday jobs to see if you like a certain work environment: an office, the outdoors. But don\u2019t necessarily expect to get it right on day one.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019ve got two. My first is the Cartier building on New Bond Street, because I think it\u2019s beautiful. The second building that I\u2019m in love with is the Polo Ralph Lauren building, where I created the highest rent in Europe in a negotiation in 2016. It was a phenomenal negotiation by its complexity and by its result. Its iconic address is 1, New Bond Street, London, and that is world famous. I come back to a story of a famous watch, I think it\u2019s called Audemars Piguet, it\u2019s one of those famous designers and somebody once said, \u201cyou\u2019ll never own one of these; you\u2019re just a temporary custodian because the watch will last longer than you will\u2019. The point is, it\u2019s a privilege to be involved even for just a short amount of time with these iconic buildings, it\u2019s more than just a job \u2013 it\u2019s part of our history.<\/p>\n
\nAsk questions! I love mentees being inquisitive. I never get embarrassed or shirty if they say they don\u2019t understand. I also think the role of a mentor is to assist and point the student in the right direction \u2013 it\u2019s never to do the work for them. It\u2019s to make sure they benefit and gain from each project or piece of coursework. I see the joy on students\u2019 faces when a lightbulb moment happens, and they say, \u201cYes, now I understand!\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2018\/09\/UOW-201.fw_-300x200.png\")
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0There\u2019s a word I haven\u2019t used throughout all the questions, and that is \u201ccharity\u201d. I believe it is our responsibility to help others less fortunate. I don\u2019t mean that in a pompous way; it should be with a good heart.<\/p>\n