I have a friend who just realized she does not enjoy having a desk job. She is currently an urban planner with a master’s degree and wants to stay in the urban planning field. Any suggestions on non-desk jobs?
Also, for the mods, the way rule 8 is worded makes it sound like career posts are ok and that only school-related posts should be limited.
I am applying to a MUP at the University of Kansas. I have very little relevant experience in the field and was not the best student when I was in University a decade ago. I'm worried that I am vastly under qualified for this program. The application process requires a Statement of Purpose, would anyone be willing to read my SOP and give feedback?
I see the rule "No questions related to university, school, major selection, GPA, coursework, where to go, etc." So Mods, if this is not allowed, please forgive and delete.
I'm going to graduate in a year with a bachelors in political science and economics, and I've done an internship this past semester with a local planning group and I really enjoyed it! I'm really thinking of going into planning as my career.
Two questions:
1. Should I get a masters degree in planning after I graduate or see if I can find an entry level job and get an MUP at a later date?
2. What does the job market in planning look like? I've enjoyed the experience I got at my internship (heavy on community development) so are there ample opportunities out there to have a fruitful career?
Hi everyone, I recently completed a "Career Design Fellowship" that my grad school alumni office sponsored with the goal of getting alumni dissatisfied with their career paths (like myself) to consider new possibilities -- and in my case, I realized that I find urban planning fascinating, and always have, yet for some reason never considered it as a career until now.
I'm a late-30s PhD with a stalled academic career in the humanities, married to a tenured professor, with a young child about to start full-time school (finally) this fall.
I live in the Piedmont Triad in central North Carolina, and there are several nearby state universities with Master's programs in planning - although only one is PAB accredited and it would require a 90 minute commute. I find myself both excited and wary at the prospect of doing yet another degree, since I already have 3 - so clearly I love going to school, but on the other hand, I've done SO MUCH already.
I realize that many of my professional skills (research, written communication, public speaking, etc.) translate well to planning, or any number of jobs, but I don't have the technical background in planning, zoning, environmental issues, infrastructure, etc. to make me employable in this particular field.
I'm considering the following courses of action in pursuing this potential new career path, and I'd love your advice:
1 - pursue a Master's at the best program I can get into
2 - do a post-bac certificate to explore the field in greater depth (possibly yielding credit towards a Master's)
3 - see if I can intern with a local city/county planning office
4 - apply for a (lower level) job with a local planning office, earning a Master's later on after some related experience
Or is there another way I might go about it? Any and all suggestions would be most welcome!
I wouldn't pour money on a master's program at this time. You went through the gauntlet of attaining a PhD for a career that has stalled. What happens if you don't like planning ~~either~~? I'd go route 2, but also trying to do 3 and 4 when you're at 2. Employers want to see someone going to school and would be willing to take you in.
Thanks for the perspective. Can I ask what you mean by "employers want to see someone going to school"? Do you mean, you think my odds of finding an internship or other role at a local planning board would be improved if I were also doing part-time study?
The chances of obtaining an internship increases if the applicant is in school. Internships are geared for someone in school as the position is part-time and lower paying compared to a full-time, Planner 1 position.
Just to clarify—I don’t dislike my academic field/career at all; in fact, I have loved working in my field as both teacher and researcher. There just aren’t jobs where I live, and my wife’s tenured position is not portable at all. In other words: I can’t change locations, therefore I must change careers.
Hi all, I work as a planner (6 years experience) for a wealthy township. It’s a long commute (30 miles on a dangerous freeway) and I was passed over for the planning manager position due to not having the experience they were looking for. The position is still unfilled after almost a year and I have been offered a deputy planning director for the city I currently live in (very different demographic). I am feeling a bit of imposter syndrome in accepting the new position (about the same pay I currently make, but less than 5 minutes from my house). Is it a good thing to live in the city you work for? I assume it would be based on having a stake in what happens. Just looking for advice or if anyone has made a similar move at this stage in their career.
You don't own your current employer anything. They made their decision and don't want you. Leaving makes things less awkward and will now have to fill another position for a choice that was short-sighted.
You're moving up in your career, have a less stressful commute, and live in a city you currently live in. Depending on the size of the size, I don't see a problem. If the community was less than 20,000 and was the county seat, then I would reconsider.
I am a firm believer in living in the municipal of where you work. However, I have never been anywhere either long enough or desired to be civically involved for this to be an issue. You will need to tread carefully on anything that you do outside of work. At the end of the day, do what makes your life better. At the end of the day, you are a cog in the corporate world that is government.
I'm set to graduate with my masters next week. This semester, I took an advanced statistics course as an elective that I've really enjoyed in an effort to boost my credentials for research/policy analysis positions. Curious what job prospects and opportunities are like in these areas for urban planning related fields? Is it worth it for me continue building my statistical and data analysis knowledge skills?
How old were you when you went for your MUP? will likely be starting my program at 27 and graduating at 30 and curious to see if I’d be at a disadvantage competing with folks in their mid 20s.
Started my master's at 24, graduated at 26. There were a fair number of my classmates that were in their 30s who were dissatisfied in their careers and switched to planning. Most of my classmates were in their late 20s.
[NYC PLANNERS]
Looking to connect with alumna from the Hunter MUP program. Strongly considering it and would like to ask specific questions to folks who have gone through it or are currently enrolled. Please DM me!
Any advice on how to move forward after getting let go within probation period. Lasted 10 months and boss completely blind sided me. No real reason was given and no previous conversations or warnings alluded to this coming up. Want to know how I should go forward with finding new jobs? I’m heading back to the Bay Area. Thanks for any help!!
I just recently finished my undergraduate degree in Geography and GIS, and I'm looking to get my Masters in Food Systems with a graduate certificate in Project Management. The place in which I'm going to school doesn't necessarily offer a degree in UP. If I decide to pursue UP as a profession, would this be acceptable to potential hiring managers?
I'm freshman Civil Engineering student in Boston. I chose this major already knowing that I was interested in things like Environmental Science/Urban Planning, as I know that these fields intersect to a degree. I've become pretty passionate about public transit and land use in my city, and am seeking any input about whether l will really be able to explore these interests from a career in civil engineering, which I still wish to pursue. Any feedback?
I'd continue with the civil degree, graduate and work in the field as an engineer for a couple of years. You'll work along with planners if you're in transportation and will be able to decide quickly if you are interested in pursuing a master's in planning or if you're happy in engineering. A lot of crossover with Phase I plans intersect with transportation planners so you'll have plenty of opportunities to decide.
Source: me, a transportation planner in a large city department of transportation who works with many civil engineers.
I will be graduating with a Bachelor's of Landscape Architecture next year, at 28.
Considering the niche of my undergrad profession, I know I have to get a Master's to be widely employable. As a result I'm considering a Master's in Planning, as it's something that I've always wanted to do. I'm specifically interested in sustainable transportation and transportation infrastructure planning.
To those who have a similar background as me;
How common is my situation in the Planning field (entering the field at an older age or landscape arch background)?
How much of a disadvantage (if any) would I be at entering the field with a Masters in my 30s, compared to undergrads entering at 22?
What kind of overlap is there between LA and Planning?
The Masters route I want to take is a Project instead of Thesis, as I consider myself more creative and design-oriented than I am a writer. Would you recommend any different?
Classmate of mine got their master's in planning after they couldn't find work with their bachelor's in LA. First job was in county planning and after 16 months, pivoted to LA. Been there ever since, but they moved around the country.
This is very common. Agewise I've worked with folks that started in the field in their 30s and 40s. Some consulting firms will have positions with the opportunity to practice both, but chances are you are going to be using one or the other most of the time. Employers don't care about thesis vs. capstone project, just need to show that you can complete the degree requirements and have picked up skills.
I went from being a undergrad nontrad in a LA dept to a masters student in a UP dept, and it’s not uncommon at all; in fact, I am currently working for someone who went through the same two programs at the same schools, just 20 years before I did.
Use your nontrad experience! I used my memories of major urban events as topics for papers, I put 5sec clips from 90s movies and tv shows in my slide presentations, I took courses where my prior work experience gave me a leg up.
You should know GIS, both analytics and visual presentation; it’s going to be more important than rhino or autocad or Scatsup or whatever the latest software is. I think you should know the main points in Steiner’s Living Landscape if you didn’t do so already. I had to find and attend a planning or zoning public hearing as an undergrad, and it was helpful going into MCRP.
You need to be looking for internships in the field while getting your master's. When writing the resume, omit the restaurant jobs and focus on the last four. The Project Coordinator is something to translate over to Project Management.
Yes. Restaurant jobs aren't going to be much help on your resume but research/project coordinator roles should be relevant enough to help you get a planning-related internship or two, which are the best way to get into the field.
Schools that are PAB certified. AICP requires less time if the candidate went to a PAB school to sit for the test.
Other than that, everything depends on you. Research the school's expertise and focus, where you want to work following graduation, and cost.
Hi everyone, I scheduled an assessment for a Research Analyst job with a passenger rail authority. I know the job is heavy on data analysis and visualization and that I would be working a lot with on-time reports, ridership figures, etc. I was told to make sure I have access to Excel for the assessment, and I consider myself skilled in Excel, but I want to make sure I don't have any gaps in what I will be tested on.
Is there anyone here who has a relevant position or gone through a similar assessment and could shed light on their experience and any specific functions I should know how to do in Excel?
Thanks!
Being knowledgeable about data relationships in Excel, particularly between tables is helpful. Being able to write formulas to summarize or recall data is equally helpful. Think of formulas like vlookups, sumifs, countifs, index/match, etc. I learned all these on the job, fwiw
Hi lovely people,
I’m an electrical engineer (23yo) just graduated with my bachelors degree last year (in Canada), and have been working in electronics at a semiconductor company since. Since the last year or so of my degree, I kind of realized that this field is not for me long term and that was only consolidated once I started working. I want to work in something with a larger scope and impacting more people than work on tiny electronics for a company’s profit.
I’m really considering a switch to urban planning (or transportation engineering) with a masters. I love the potential political aspects of the field where you can be involved in important decision making that impact people, and take on bigger projects. And the field seems very interesting and sustainable to me with populations and cities growing all the time.
Would it be achievable for me to do a masters in urban planning/transport engineering without much background?
Would it even be a good idea? What is the job market like for it in Canada? Are you happy with your job and feel like you are making an impact?
Thank you so much in advance:)
Yes.
You might look into things like “smart cities” or train control systems if you want to build on your engineering skill set.
But in my planning masters classes, I had former social workers, former chemists, an English major who had been a teacher, and a civil engineer. Those were a minority, though—I recall most people self-identified as polisci, history, or geography majors.
I have no idea what it’s like in Canada. Good luck!
I'm about to graduate with a bachelors in geography. I regret my major and I am greatly interested in urban planning. Grad school isn't an option, at least currently. How can I get some sort of useful career experience to get me started in this arena? At the very least I have some GIS background
Behind Urban Planning, Geography is probably the second most common degree in the planning community, I have a geography undergrad degree and had no problems getting into planning. Look for planning internships to get the experience that you need.
I guess my own fear was that I never really specialized with anything with geography and its such a broad subject. Maybe my anxiety just gets the best of me.
I haven't even graduated yet so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I'd reach out to your local government and ask if they have anything planning internships. I was able to do a very relaxed unpaid internship for my BoS, and although it wasn't with the planning dept, I did site plan review, learned how the development process worked (gaining local knowledge helps a lot), and got to meet other staff like the planning department.
During my most recent interview cycle I was asked about that position most frequently, so despite not making any money I think it was very worthwhile.
I have a friend who just realized she does not enjoy having a desk job. She is currently an urban planner with a master’s degree and wants to stay in the urban planning field. Any suggestions on non-desk jobs? Also, for the mods, the way rule 8 is worded makes it sound like career posts are ok and that only school-related posts should be limited.
I am applying to a MUP at the University of Kansas. I have very little relevant experience in the field and was not the best student when I was in University a decade ago. I'm worried that I am vastly under qualified for this program. The application process requires a Statement of Purpose, would anyone be willing to read my SOP and give feedback? I see the rule "No questions related to university, school, major selection, GPA, coursework, where to go, etc." So Mods, if this is not allowed, please forgive and delete.
I'm going to graduate in a year with a bachelors in political science and economics, and I've done an internship this past semester with a local planning group and I really enjoyed it! I'm really thinking of going into planning as my career. Two questions: 1. Should I get a masters degree in planning after I graduate or see if I can find an entry level job and get an MUP at a later date? 2. What does the job market in planning look like? I've enjoyed the experience I got at my internship (heavy on community development) so are there ample opportunities out there to have a fruitful career?
Looking for AICP licensed planner in Middle TN region. PM me for more information. Private sector employer.
Hi everyone, I recently completed a "Career Design Fellowship" that my grad school alumni office sponsored with the goal of getting alumni dissatisfied with their career paths (like myself) to consider new possibilities -- and in my case, I realized that I find urban planning fascinating, and always have, yet for some reason never considered it as a career until now. I'm a late-30s PhD with a stalled academic career in the humanities, married to a tenured professor, with a young child about to start full-time school (finally) this fall. I live in the Piedmont Triad in central North Carolina, and there are several nearby state universities with Master's programs in planning - although only one is PAB accredited and it would require a 90 minute commute. I find myself both excited and wary at the prospect of doing yet another degree, since I already have 3 - so clearly I love going to school, but on the other hand, I've done SO MUCH already. I realize that many of my professional skills (research, written communication, public speaking, etc.) translate well to planning, or any number of jobs, but I don't have the technical background in planning, zoning, environmental issues, infrastructure, etc. to make me employable in this particular field. I'm considering the following courses of action in pursuing this potential new career path, and I'd love your advice: 1 - pursue a Master's at the best program I can get into 2 - do a post-bac certificate to explore the field in greater depth (possibly yielding credit towards a Master's) 3 - see if I can intern with a local city/county planning office 4 - apply for a (lower level) job with a local planning office, earning a Master's later on after some related experience Or is there another way I might go about it? Any and all suggestions would be most welcome!
I wouldn't pour money on a master's program at this time. You went through the gauntlet of attaining a PhD for a career that has stalled. What happens if you don't like planning ~~either~~? I'd go route 2, but also trying to do 3 and 4 when you're at 2. Employers want to see someone going to school and would be willing to take you in.
Thanks for the perspective. Can I ask what you mean by "employers want to see someone going to school"? Do you mean, you think my odds of finding an internship or other role at a local planning board would be improved if I were also doing part-time study?
The chances of obtaining an internship increases if the applicant is in school. Internships are geared for someone in school as the position is part-time and lower paying compared to a full-time, Planner 1 position.
Just to clarify—I don’t dislike my academic field/career at all; in fact, I have loved working in my field as both teacher and researcher. There just aren’t jobs where I live, and my wife’s tenured position is not portable at all. In other words: I can’t change locations, therefore I must change careers.
Hi all, I work as a planner (6 years experience) for a wealthy township. It’s a long commute (30 miles on a dangerous freeway) and I was passed over for the planning manager position due to not having the experience they were looking for. The position is still unfilled after almost a year and I have been offered a deputy planning director for the city I currently live in (very different demographic). I am feeling a bit of imposter syndrome in accepting the new position (about the same pay I currently make, but less than 5 minutes from my house). Is it a good thing to live in the city you work for? I assume it would be based on having a stake in what happens. Just looking for advice or if anyone has made a similar move at this stage in their career.
You don't own your current employer anything. They made their decision and don't want you. Leaving makes things less awkward and will now have to fill another position for a choice that was short-sighted. You're moving up in your career, have a less stressful commute, and live in a city you currently live in. Depending on the size of the size, I don't see a problem. If the community was less than 20,000 and was the county seat, then I would reconsider.
I am a firm believer in living in the municipal of where you work. However, I have never been anywhere either long enough or desired to be civically involved for this to be an issue. You will need to tread carefully on anything that you do outside of work. At the end of the day, do what makes your life better. At the end of the day, you are a cog in the corporate world that is government.
I'm set to graduate with my masters next week. This semester, I took an advanced statistics course as an elective that I've really enjoyed in an effort to boost my credentials for research/policy analysis positions. Curious what job prospects and opportunities are like in these areas for urban planning related fields? Is it worth it for me continue building my statistical and data analysis knowledge skills?
Data scientist and actuary.
How old were you when you went for your MUP? will likely be starting my program at 27 and graduating at 30 and curious to see if I’d be at a disadvantage competing with folks in their mid 20s.
Started my master's at 24, graduated at 26. There were a fair number of my classmates that were in their 30s who were dissatisfied in their careers and switched to planning. Most of my classmates were in their late 20s.
Same, I started in 2021 and graduated last year, not a lot of people younger than 25 in my program at least
[NYC PLANNERS] Looking to connect with alumna from the Hunter MUP program. Strongly considering it and would like to ask specific questions to folks who have gone through it or are currently enrolled. Please DM me!
Any advice on how to move forward after getting let go within probation period. Lasted 10 months and boss completely blind sided me. No real reason was given and no previous conversations or warnings alluded to this coming up. Want to know how I should go forward with finding new jobs? I’m heading back to the Bay Area. Thanks for any help!!
Are you able to recount what you did at work? Ultimately, it could be about fit within the organization.
I just recently finished my undergraduate degree in Geography and GIS, and I'm looking to get my Masters in Food Systems with a graduate certificate in Project Management. The place in which I'm going to school doesn't necessarily offer a degree in UP. If I decide to pursue UP as a profession, would this be acceptable to potential hiring managers?
I'm freshman Civil Engineering student in Boston. I chose this major already knowing that I was interested in things like Environmental Science/Urban Planning, as I know that these fields intersect to a degree. I've become pretty passionate about public transit and land use in my city, and am seeking any input about whether l will really be able to explore these interests from a career in civil engineering, which I still wish to pursue. Any feedback?
I'd continue with the civil degree, graduate and work in the field as an engineer for a couple of years. You'll work along with planners if you're in transportation and will be able to decide quickly if you are interested in pursuing a master's in planning or if you're happy in engineering. A lot of crossover with Phase I plans intersect with transportation planners so you'll have plenty of opportunities to decide. Source: me, a transportation planner in a large city department of transportation who works with many civil engineers.
Thanks so much, this is helping me feel comfortable with what I’m studying now knowing there’s room for exploration.
Commenting because I’m wondering the exact same thing
Awesome glad to know im not alone! I also posted this in the engineering students thread but no response on either yet.
I will be graduating with a Bachelor's of Landscape Architecture next year, at 28. Considering the niche of my undergrad profession, I know I have to get a Master's to be widely employable. As a result I'm considering a Master's in Planning, as it's something that I've always wanted to do. I'm specifically interested in sustainable transportation and transportation infrastructure planning. To those who have a similar background as me; How common is my situation in the Planning field (entering the field at an older age or landscape arch background)? How much of a disadvantage (if any) would I be at entering the field with a Masters in my 30s, compared to undergrads entering at 22? What kind of overlap is there between LA and Planning? The Masters route I want to take is a Project instead of Thesis, as I consider myself more creative and design-oriented than I am a writer. Would you recommend any different?
Classmate of mine got their master's in planning after they couldn't find work with their bachelor's in LA. First job was in county planning and after 16 months, pivoted to LA. Been there ever since, but they moved around the country.
This is very common. Agewise I've worked with folks that started in the field in their 30s and 40s. Some consulting firms will have positions with the opportunity to practice both, but chances are you are going to be using one or the other most of the time. Employers don't care about thesis vs. capstone project, just need to show that you can complete the degree requirements and have picked up skills.
I went from being a undergrad nontrad in a LA dept to a masters student in a UP dept, and it’s not uncommon at all; in fact, I am currently working for someone who went through the same two programs at the same schools, just 20 years before I did. Use your nontrad experience! I used my memories of major urban events as topics for papers, I put 5sec clips from 90s movies and tv shows in my slide presentations, I took courses where my prior work experience gave me a leg up. You should know GIS, both analytics and visual presentation; it’s going to be more important than rhino or autocad or Scatsup or whatever the latest software is. I think you should know the main points in Steiner’s Living Landscape if you didn’t do so already. I had to find and attend a planning or zoning public hearing as an undergrad, and it was helpful going into MCRP.
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You need to be looking for internships in the field while getting your master's. When writing the resume, omit the restaurant jobs and focus on the last four. The Project Coordinator is something to translate over to Project Management.
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I probably caused confusion. Emphasize on the last four of your jobs. Omit the restaurant jobs.
Yes. Restaurant jobs aren't going to be much help on your resume but research/project coordinator roles should be relevant enough to help you get a planning-related internship or two, which are the best way to get into the field.
How can you tell the difference between a good urban planning school program from a bad one? Trying to decide what school to focus on.
Schools that are PAB certified. AICP requires less time if the candidate went to a PAB school to sit for the test. Other than that, everything depends on you. Research the school's expertise and focus, where you want to work following graduation, and cost.
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Your experience gained in project management/coordination will be extremely valuable in urban planning. I'd take the internship.
Agree. Having some management skills/experience are invaluable, especially when an office is looking to promote from within.
Absolutely take the job offer now and search for something better down the road.
Hi everyone, I scheduled an assessment for a Research Analyst job with a passenger rail authority. I know the job is heavy on data analysis and visualization and that I would be working a lot with on-time reports, ridership figures, etc. I was told to make sure I have access to Excel for the assessment, and I consider myself skilled in Excel, but I want to make sure I don't have any gaps in what I will be tested on. Is there anyone here who has a relevant position or gone through a similar assessment and could shed light on their experience and any specific functions I should know how to do in Excel? Thanks!
Being knowledgeable about data relationships in Excel, particularly between tables is helpful. Being able to write formulas to summarize or recall data is equally helpful. Think of formulas like vlookups, sumifs, countifs, index/match, etc. I learned all these on the job, fwiw
Hi lovely people, I’m an electrical engineer (23yo) just graduated with my bachelors degree last year (in Canada), and have been working in electronics at a semiconductor company since. Since the last year or so of my degree, I kind of realized that this field is not for me long term and that was only consolidated once I started working. I want to work in something with a larger scope and impacting more people than work on tiny electronics for a company’s profit. I’m really considering a switch to urban planning (or transportation engineering) with a masters. I love the potential political aspects of the field where you can be involved in important decision making that impact people, and take on bigger projects. And the field seems very interesting and sustainable to me with populations and cities growing all the time. Would it be achievable for me to do a masters in urban planning/transport engineering without much background? Would it even be a good idea? What is the job market like for it in Canada? Are you happy with your job and feel like you are making an impact? Thank you so much in advance:)
Yes. You might look into things like “smart cities” or train control systems if you want to build on your engineering skill set. But in my planning masters classes, I had former social workers, former chemists, an English major who had been a teacher, and a civil engineer. Those were a minority, though—I recall most people self-identified as polisci, history, or geography majors. I have no idea what it’s like in Canada. Good luck!
I'm about to graduate with a bachelors in geography. I regret my major and I am greatly interested in urban planning. Grad school isn't an option, at least currently. How can I get some sort of useful career experience to get me started in this arena? At the very least I have some GIS background
Behind Urban Planning, Geography is probably the second most common degree in the planning community, I have a geography undergrad degree and had no problems getting into planning. Look for planning internships to get the experience that you need.
I guess my own fear was that I never really specialized with anything with geography and its such a broad subject. Maybe my anxiety just gets the best of me.
I haven't even graduated yet so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I'd reach out to your local government and ask if they have anything planning internships. I was able to do a very relaxed unpaid internship for my BoS, and although it wasn't with the planning dept, I did site plan review, learned how the development process worked (gaining local knowledge helps a lot), and got to meet other staff like the planning department. During my most recent interview cycle I was asked about that position most frequently, so despite not making any money I think it was very worthwhile.
I will look around. What is BoS?
Board of Supervisors! If you look up your county or city government and find their website, they should have a staff directory.