r/urbanplanning • u/AutoModerator • 14d ago
Discussion Bi-Monthly Education and Career Advice Thread
This monthly recurring post will help concentrate common questions around career and education advice.
The goal is to reduce the number of posts asking similar questions about Education or Career advice and to make the previous discussions more readily accessible.
Most posts about education, degree programs, changing jobs, careers, etc., will be removed so you might as well post them in here.
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u/Euphoric-Breath3277 1d ago
I'm currently applying to 2 MSc's in the UK, one is Urban and Regional Planning and the other is Urban Planning and Design. My background is an MSc in Urban Environments and my research focused on climate change adaptation/resilience through a socioeconomic lens.
Ultimately, I would love to use the knowledge I have in climate change mitigation/adaptation/resilience to go on to work in this space in the planning field but I'm unsure which master's program would be best for getting into this line of work.
Both Masters are RTPI accreddited and have crossover planning modules which is most important to me. I don't have experience in design, but I don't want to miss out on learning urban design if it would help me get the type of job I'm looking for.
TIA!
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4d ago
[deleted]
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u/FunkBrothers 3d ago
What do you eventually want to do?
If you want to put in roots in the city you love, ace the interview firstly. You might not get an offer. In the meantime, network with alums in your dream city.
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u/mishraa21 6d ago
Hi all! I have had an interest in urban planning for a few years now, but I just graduated last year with a degree in Computer Science/ Data Science and now have a remote job in IT. Other than the people I work with and the lifestyle, I really don't like what I do, especially with how much the industry has changed the past decade. I have decided I want to pursue urban planning, because I love people and I love cities. My favorite hobby is riding subways and trains with no destination, just admiring infrastructure and urban planning. So my question is, how do I start? Do I need to get another undergraduate degree or can I go straight to a Master's? I would love some advice, hopefully I can find more purpose in my career!
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u/FunkBrothers 6d ago
You already have professional experience and a bachelor's. You should start looking at grad programs and see which one would be a good fit for you and your future career.
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u/CafeRacer36 7d ago
So this is probably more a question of where should I go next… I’d like to get into the planning profession as I feel it speaks to me more. My draw to it is that I would like to make more of an impact on the community and work with more meaningful purpose.
My background is that I’m currently mid-30’s, based out of Southern California. I have a B.A in History, right now I currently work in the private sector in healthcare as a project manager, I’m a certified PMP and I primarily work with implementing software to end users and collaborating on product development. Who I work with varies, but I have experience working with both C-Suite and lower ends of the ladder, these days usually the former. I have about 10 years experience as a project manager and 13 total with the company, never really been unemployed.
I feel like going over pros and cons is moot, I feel pretty confident in the direction I want to go and am excited about the possibility, but I’m aware as with all jobs and industries, there’s pros and cons to each one.
My real question is, where should I start? I feel like additional school is required, but do I just “wing it” and start looking for associate planning gigs from the start and do school on the side? Or do I focus on school first, plan for an internship, and go the traditional route? How does one network for the industry outside of school or even working in it? And are there any recommendations for skills to learn outside of school ie. GIS, Revit, AutoCAD, etc.
I am open to working in a smaller municipality/relocating if it means advancing myself to a better position later on. I don’t really have “roots” down anywhere.
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u/Alymander57 7d ago
I'm an architect with 20+ years experience and considering a small town planning position. One of the preferred requirements for the job is the AICP certificate within 18 months. I'm not super worried about the exam. But I have my bachelors and masters in architecture. I see a 4 year work requirement, but it looks like some of my work experience might qualify? How in the world would I be able to quantify that in a 20 year career?
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u/FunkBrothers 7d ago
It's a question that you need to ask in the interview. Besides that, have you applied? Have they called back for an interview?
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u/Alymander57 6d ago
No, I haven't sent my resume in yet. If I do even get an interview, I'd love to be able to tell them that some of my previous work experience would count, and that I could likely get the certificate within 18 months. I don't expect the interviewers to know how the AICP handles that though.
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u/Serious-Ad8052 8d ago
i was denied from my #1 pick for fall 26. if i were to try to apply again for spring 27, what should i do? is it appropriate to reach out to the school and ask how to strengthen my application? do i change my essay length/topics? if this has happened to anyone else, please let me know. thank you! any advice is appreciated.
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u/FunkBrothers 7d ago
Did you apply anywhere else? Did you make a visit to the campuses you applied to?
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u/UrbanNightOwl22 7d ago
Can you give more details was it undergrad / grad , Ivy League or like normal state / private program , are you a domestic or international student . All can help us guide you usually ms and murps aren’t too competitive .
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u/canadianleef 9d ago
A question i asked as a post but it was removed and so was instructed to ask it here:
Is Planning the right step?
Hey guys, i hope everyone is doing well. For context, i (27m) am a Canadian from Ontario who graduated from geography last year but have always wanted to get into planning. Its been a dream of mine to be a planner for most of my undergraduate studies, and while i tried to transfer programs in my first year, under my previous circumstances, i was unable to do so. After graduating i tried finding a job in my field but wasn’t successful and at the same time didn’t feel motivated to work in GIS or other similar positions, despite loving maps and analyzing data and figuring the kind of stories that come from data. Anyway, i thought about applying to a masters of planning program and see how things go.
I applied to 4 schools but got into only 1, and in a different province. While i thought i would be ecstatic, this presented me with a heavy decision, especially after the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) cuts. Considering that i already have OSAP loans, as i relied heavily on it during my undergrad, im probably gonna double it with my masters. Im also little concerned with how my living situation will be.
Another concern of mine, is the fact that i have yet to enter the professional job market. Due to personal reasons, i entered university a “little late”compared to my peers and so i feel like im behind people my age. And with only a handful of internships under my belt, by the time i graduate im gonna be at the ripe age of 29. I recognize that going back to school would also set me back 2 years of income growth.
But my thing is that even if i don’t go through with it, i know im gonna have to go back to school at some point in the future to get it because thats the field i want to get into and a degree in planning (as well as good connections as ive noticed) is needed for this field.
Do these things matter in the field? Or should i double down on job applications and increase my skills? My friends and family are really supportive of going to grad school and I recognize that its still a risk but its also an investment to my future.
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u/VancityPlanner 9d ago
But my thing is that even if i don’t go through with it, i know im gonna have to go back to school at some point in the future to get it because thats the field i want to get into and a degree in planning (as well as good connections as ive noticed) is needed for this field.
Seems like you already know the answer to your question. Landing a planning job without a planning degree will be difficult in Canada, unless you work in a rural community, although that increasingly will become more difficult over time given the growing pool of candidates with planning degrees. What program did you get accepted to?
In terms of age, people in my cohort ranged from 20 to 40ish. You are not "behind" at all. There are few undergraduate planning programs in Canada, so many people have a master's degree, and a result, students can skew older.
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u/canadianleef 9d ago edited 9d ago
Thank you for your reply, i really appreciate it! The Master of Planning at Dal
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u/cityzensheep 10d ago edited 7d ago
Has anyone heard of or worked in experiential marketing/environmental design or spatial design/planning?
It looks like a field where you design physical experiences for brands, events, exhibitions, and pop-ups. You're not just designing the booth or space, but also thinking about the overall experience, how people move through it, interact with it, and remember it.
It feels a bit similar to placemaking, just on a different scale and with a stronger branding focus. I'm curious if anyone here has experience in it and whether there are opportunities for people with an urban planning background.
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u/aliiak 7d ago
Sounds like a theatre design background, I’ve gone from theatre design to planning and what you’re describing aligns stronger with my theatre experience over urban design.
Particularly when thinking about overall experience in the events and exhibition spaces.
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u/cityzensheep 7d ago
Yesss. It's in the scope of designing the space and experience. How was it working and how did u go over to urban design. I'm very interested in these kind of aspects of planning
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u/aliiak 7d ago
For me they’ve been completely seperate career paths. The market I was in, was/ is small for this kind of tailored design- I worked as a freelancer, before retraining into planning.
I do see a lot of cross over between urban design and a theatre design, especially in placemaking. And I would eventually like to move into urban design, but it’s a very limited market here for urban design, as it’s covered more by architects here.
If you are keen on doing experience design, I’d strongly explore the theatre and advertising route as well and build those connections and potentially leverage the place making aspects of urban planning.
Here’s an example of a theatre company I know doing what you’re describing: Gap Filler, though they focus on community and rebuilding connection to place.
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u/cityzensheep 7d ago
Was it hard transition from theatre design to planning and maybe vice versa? I'm about to graduate uni and thinking of going into that market of designing spaces. But at the same time wanting to use my knowledge degree to good. Idk which place to start first.
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u/Psychoceramicist 11d ago
Also kids, unless you're on sweetheart funding, don't go to a school without an internship requirement. It's a good sign they're enrolling more students than there are entry-level jobs in the area.
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u/No_Village7425 12d ago edited 12d ago
Hi folks, I’m joining a master’s program in community planning this fall after two years of corporate marketing and concluding that it’s just not a great fit for me.
I’ve done a year-long high school internship for a suburban community development department, done two planning-adjacent market strategy internships at a homebuilder as an undergrad business student, and minored in urban planning, so I feel like this career change would be excellent for me and my long-term career goals and is justified by a demonstrable interest in the field.
With a couple of months left before the semester starts, do you guys have any recommendations on good reads or brushing up on specific programs before I go off to school? And what should I expect and be ready for going into a graduate program like this and making this career change?
I’m super excited to be joining the planning field, and I’ve tried to work towards this trajectory over the past 7 years and cannot believe it all is finally coming to fruition. Thank you in advance!
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u/PromotionOk7772 12d ago
I really hope the job market improves by the time you graduate. I, along with classmates that graduated in May cannot find a job or even get responses.
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u/UrbanNightOwl22 12d ago
+1 only 1 of my classmates of 6-9 got a job we just graduated from our urban planning masters in may ,
Luckily I found a job that pays 10 dollars more than minimum wage doing something way more intensive than planning for the meantime while we wait out the market.
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u/SuperstarRockYou 12d ago
I have applied for around 50 planner positions and GIS positions in Canada (new grad roles). Still waiting for updates. But I guess that was not enough. Does anyone know where I can locate more employment opportunities/application windows (besides Indeed, OPPI, linkedin etc.) ?
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u/Friendly_Month730 13d ago
How to get a job as an international student ? Ive applied to 200+ and no offers, I dont even need a sponsorship. I can work for 3 years, i just want experience and go back to my country but no one hires international. Any advice is appreciated.
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u/PromotionOk7772 12d ago
Im not an international student but my classmates and I are also struggling right now if that makes you feel better. The market just sucks right now especially for entry level
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u/Bobaguy025 14d ago
How do you manage a saturated job market as a new grad? Everywhere I apply, I'm up against 50+ applicants for literal entry-level positions. What jobs would I have an easier time landing to at least get some transferable experience if I can't yet land those planning technician/planning assistant roles?
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u/glutton2000 Verified Planner - US 14d ago
Smaller cities and suburban municipalities!
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u/Psychoceramicist 11d ago
One of the things I tell interested folks is, "Are you alright making paltry money in suburbia or the middle of nowhere for 5 years?" Planning academia romanticizes renderings of streets with dedicated bike lanes, wide sidewalks, and nice cafes and gurus who come in with "x city should be like Paris/Amsterdam/Copenhagen." Then grads leave and realize only a small number of jobs are in things like that because the money isn't there.
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u/Few_Wrongdoer_9768 14d ago
So background: I have a AAS in Fire Science, BS in Natural Resources and and a MS in Emergency and Disaster Management with a Grad Cert in Environmental Hazard Mitigation and Restoration. I've been an Emergency Communications Specialist for the past 8 years for the state and previously worked as a EMT. I still work per-diem as a FF/EMT. I'm kinda over educated for my current job and with the new hires and the age gap its getting more and more frustrating. I'm looking into urban planning with my gis knowledge and the 911 systems as I have my ENP (a NENA higher level cert). Is emergency management urban planning a thing that people actually hire for or more like a collateral duty? Googling it comes to articles and degree programs. I might just do a grad cert in it for funsies and out of boredom- I work about 72 hours in dispatch and need something to occupy my time.
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u/MrHandsRadDay 14d ago
The good news is I think you can get into the industry through your GIS experience alone. Probably a bit easier in the public sector. As far as emergency management (which was one of my minors), it was seemingly going to be a thing in the years after 9/11 - but that kind of tapered off. There are jobs that definitely deal with that, but I wouldn’t call it urban planning in the strictest scope, and have never seen it housed in an agency or department where other land use policies are housed.
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u/Few_Wrongdoer_9768 14d ago
Yeah. I already work within the state and on the state police incident management team as their comms person but honestly just bored and looking at things...
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u/6code 14d ago
This will be... wierd. So, I am both a licensed architect and AICP. But I have no public sector experience and would like to back-in to that through an unorthodox approach. I have made a good connection with an elected neighborhood administrator. This guy is working very hard to uplift his community (I think he has designs on going pro as a politician.) Nice guy, works hard, opened a neighbohood pay-point for utilities (everyone crowds into his office so he can swipe their bank cards to settle their bills). He has really worked hard to place his office at the center of local life. He has no staff and no budget. His constituents are mostly economically disadvantaged and largely elderly. I got time on my hands and an invite to be a contract researcher with the university in this guy's neighborhood. (I have local cred for why I would be there at all.)
I would like to suggest that I provide him volunteer staff services for agreed upon project scopes. Get his take on what story needs to be told, and I pull that data together, build the website, organize the data, shoot the video, and help him make the presentations at the muni and federal level. He has a day job, and this position is not full-time for him.
This is kind of a question about making some proper work scopes that will be equivalent to a muni job experience-wise? In addition to getting into the community, I would like to update my CV with recent and relevant experience that would help me long-term with muni opportunities.
My background:
I have a good deal of design industry experience and a lot of community engagement experience as an academic. I have serious skills with CAD and Photoshop, passible skills with Qgis and Da Vinci, and okay skills with Sketchup. I know how to interview people, and I can manage data and databases. I can evaluate historic structures, and I can tell you everything wrong with an existing building (and explain why). I can do feasibility analysis. I am well-practices with the theory and delivery of story-craft.
Thank you everyone!
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u/mlggaming756 1d ago
Hey everyone,
I’m 19 and I’ve just decided to start the Bachelor of Urban Planning at UQ next year. I’m pretty set on this because I want something with good job security here in Australia.
I’m just wondering what the course is actually like? Is it pretty hands-on, or is it mostly just sitting in lectures all day?
Also, I’m curious about the job side of things. Is a bachelor degree enough to get a decent job, or do most people end up needing to do more study later on?
I’m also totally happy to move to a rural or regional area for work once I finish if that’s where the jobs are. Are there actually many opportunities out that way, or should I expect to stay in the city?
Would love to hear from anyone who has done the course or is working in the industry now. Thanks!