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I keep hearing that the market is pretty bad for planners right now. Is this true? I also hear that from the US News rags and the Bureau of Labor Stats that the job market is increasing. Which is it?
I want to pursue a masters in planning and have the chance to do internships in a major city. Should I pursue this course? Also, what is the pay like for entry level planners with a masters degree and a few internships under their belt?
I keep hearing that the market is pretty bad for planners right now. Is this true? I also hear that from the US News rags and the Bureau of Labor Stats that the job market is increasing. Which is it?
I want to pursue a masters in planning and have the chance to do internships in a major city. Should I pursue this course? Also, what is the pay like for entry level planners with a masters degree and a few internships under their belt?
I have a Masters in planning from one of the top 5 schools (whatever that's worth), but decided not to pursue it as a career.
The market is very bad right now for planners, but getting a bit better. Even when things are good, there are way more planners than there are for jobs.
That said, if you want to do planning, then do it. Mostly all of my classmates were able to get FT jobs in planning. Took some of them a while, but they were able. You need the Masters. Internships help a ton. There is a high likelihood you will not get a FT job after graduation, will intern for a year or two, then someone will hire you.
Entry level pay for planners ranges anywhere from 30K-50K I would say. If you are on the coasts, you could make a bit more.
I will be pursuing a masters from a top ten planning program. The only thing that worries me is not landing a job after finishing. I don't care about pay so much since I'm sure the higher pay comes with advancement. 35-40k is what I'm hoping for to start. The salaries you mentioned, is that for the internships you were talking about before landing a full time gig? What do these interns make?
Ill be 31 when I finish my planning degree so I'm hoping that's not too old.
Also I will be coupling the planning degree with a specialization in GIS. I also plan on earning a construction management certificate in case I want to go into private sector construction or public works.
Also if ya don't mind me asking, what is it that you do now? Did your planning degree help with what you're doing now? What other fields can planners go into? Real Estate development? Private sector Construction? Private sector engineering firm?
I will be pursuing a masters from a top ten planning program. The only thing that worries me is not landing a job after finishing. I don't care about pay so much since I'm sure the higher pay comes with advancement. 35-40k is what I'm hoping for to start. The salaries you mentioned, is that for the internships you were talking about before landing a full time gig? What do these interns make?
Ill be 31 when I finish my planning degree so I'm hoping that's not too old.
Also I will be coupling the planning degree with a specialization in GIS. I also plan on earning a construction management certificate in case I want to go into private sector construction or public works.
Any thoughts?
Eventually you will land a job. I wouldn't worry about that part.
The salaries were for FT employment. A couple of the lucky guys got in the 50s. NYC area though. Planning salaries CAN pay somewhat well (close to 6 figures) but in general, they do not. As with any career, if you rise to the top, the salaries are good. Planning is uber-competitive for the good jobs, and planning students are in general pretty bright. Transportation planning probably pays the best.
You won't be too old at all. I was about that age, a slew of students were in their late 20s (mostly liberal arts and Econ majors) a few in their 30s, and a sprinkle in their 50s even.
Knowing GIS is good. Very good.
Planning is not really a pathway into construction management or development. It's completely different. If you want to do high scale development, get a law degree and become the Mayor of Chicago.
Planning is about implementing gradual changes from public input.
Quote:
Originally Posted by radiolibre99
Also if ya don't mind me asking, what is it that you do now? Did your planning degree help with what you're doing now? What other fields can planners go into? Real Estate development? Private sector Construction? Private sector engineering firm?
I work in Environmental Engineering.
The most typical career paths for planners are Transportation Planner, Physical Planner (streetscapes and such), Community Development, and Environmental Planning. Many planners work for engineering firms doing one of the above.
Did my planning degree help me? In truth, it hasn't yet, but it still might since engineering consultants do a fair bit of planning. But it also cost me virtually nothing since I was a teaching assistant and lived at home for a large portion of the time.
Some of my classmates came from across the country and footed all expenses on their own. Had that been the case for me, I'd be majorly regretting it. Planning can be a worthwhile profession IMO, but going into debt over it is a bad idea.
I chose a cheap program that will probably only have me in debt 20k and even then I make a good enough salary already to pay for half of it.
I can always consolidate my loans and get on a 30 year plan. There are ways to get around massive head wound debt.
Ok, so nix the construction management cert? Even if it's directly tied into with the public works department of the city?
Essentially what should I couple my degree with in order to make me more competitive? What do you need to concentrate in for transportation?
Thank again for the help. Much appreciated!
They're fundamentally different. Planning is about tomorrow. Construction management is about today. CM courses are taught more out of engineering schools.
What exactly do you want to do with your planning degree?
Sounds about right. Is planning one of those degrees that it doesn't really matter what school you went to? Like engineering.
Would you consider it a peer discipline to architecture or civil engineering?
Also what would be a useful discipline to couple with a planning degree? A certificate in what?
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