Daniel Woods has become a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

He took a circuitous route to become RICS certified, but he thinks more young Bermudians should consider the prestigious qualification.

There is certainly a need.

After university, Mr Woods worked other jobs before becoming a Bermuda realtor in 2016.

But he took advantage of a scholarship from Kitson Real Estate to return to school and study real estate management at Kingston University in London.

He then specialised in property valuation and management while working for Fulcrum Property Consultants.

The 33-year-old recently joined the Department of Public Lands and Buildings within the Ministry of Public Works.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is a globally recognised professional body that promotes high standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure.

With this qualification, Mr Woods has the technical expertise to value, manage and develop multiple types of property on the island, while upholding core principles of best practice and ethics.

The prestige and worldwide reputation of a RICS qualification opened the door to jobs anywhere internationally, should he have chosen that path. He is grateful for a lot of help he had along the way.

He said: “It’s been quite the journey, to say the least — six years of sacrifice, continued learning and life lessons.

“But, to be honest, I wouldn’t trade any of that time because it was all necessary in the grand scheme of things to develop me not just into a real estate professional, but also as the person I am today.”

Mr Woods, who was promoted recently to designate estates surveyor, said he was indebted to all his mentors.

“There is a long list of people who have steered me in the right direction and provided continued support.

“Most of all, I would like to acknowledge the Kitson family, Jane Burt, James Redrobe, Nana Turkson, my team at Estates and my family.

“The support of my mentors has been critical in reaching this goal and I sincerely look forward to paying it forward and setting a great example for whoever comes next.”

Mr Redrobe, of Fulcrum Property Consultants, said: “It was a pleasure having Daniel as a mentee. He is hardworking and has a promising future in the professional side of real estate.

“I’m happy to hear he is having great success in the public sector and am proud to have played a part in the development of a young Bermudian surveyor.”

As for the career opportunities in surveying, Mr Woods said: “Most people outside of my closest friends or industry colleagues generally don’t understand what I do.

“I think therein lies the problem as Bermuda would definitely benefit from more chartered surveyors on island.

“In Bermuda right now, I’m pretty sure I’m the only qualified Bermudian valuation surveyor under 40, and when you think about how often the different surveying services are required, I am hopeful we can place more emphasis on creating opportunities in this space.”

He said the Government was “very active in promoting this field” by offering bursaries and trainee roles to encourage Bermudians to move into the profession.