How to Launch Your Urban Planning Career

Summary

In this course on launching and relaunching a career in urban planning, Professor Rick Wilson guides participants through the process of strategizing their career path. The course covers identifying personal strengths, values, and job preferences, as well as navigating choices between various career paths within planning. It emphasizes the importance of self-assessment tools, mentorship, and gaining experience through networking and informational interviews. The course aims to help planners align their values with career goals, manage doubts, and adapt to the dynamic nature of the planning field for long-term career satisfaction.

Takeaways

• 😀 Urban planning careers are diverse and offer multiple paths, allowing professionals to contribute to public good while enjoying a professional salary.
• 😀 The course is designed to help you assess your skills, values, and preferences to align your career path with your personal characteristics.
• 😀 Career paths in urban planning can be non-linear, as seen in the example of Miguel Vasquez's journey, where flexibility, support from mentors, and professional organizations played a key role.
• 😀 Planning is a fluid, innovative field with loose professional boundaries, offering a wide range of opportunities and career options in various work settings.
• 😀 Planners must frequently reflect and choose their career direction, as goals, practices, and the nature of work change over time.
• 😀 There are three general categories of urban planning work: people and equity, place and environment, and systems and efficiency. Each category offers different types of jobs and focuses.
• 😀 Work in urban planning may not always have 'planner' in the job title, with roles in advocacy, social services, infrastructure, or sustainability being valid options.
• 😀 Personality assessment tools, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, can help planners understand their work style preferences and better align their career choices.
• 😀 Reflecting on your core values, such as care, justice, truth, and beauty, can help you identify the type of planning work that aligns with your intrinsic motivations.
• 😀 Managing self-doubt is essential for career progression. Recognizing when doubt is excessive and addressing it based on your performance and feedback is key to overcoming barriers.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of the course on launching and relaunching a planning career?

The primary goal of the course is to help individuals strategize their career paths in urban planning, find work settings that align with their skills and values, and provide tools to assess personal characteristics and plan for career advancement.

How does the course suggest dealing with doubt in one's career path?

The course suggests comparing your self-doubt with evidence of past performance, such as grades, job reviews, and feedback from mentors. It encourages a realistic amount of doubt to fuel improvement while avoiding excessive self-doubt that could hinder progress.

What are the three general categories of urban planning work outlined in the course?

The three categories are: 1) People and equity, focusing on social justice and human capital, 2) Place and environment, focusing on urban design and environmental sustainability, and 3) Systems and efficiency, focusing on infrastructure and transportation planning.

What is the importance of using personality assessment tools in career planning?

Personality assessment tools, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, help individuals reflect on their work style preferences, identify job fits, recognize strengths, and understand how personality impacts collaboration and management in the workplace.

How does the course describe the career path in urban planning?

The course emphasizes that a planning career path is often non-linear and filled with twists and turns. It highlights the importance of flexibility, mentorship, and participation in professional organizations to navigate unexpected career changes.

Why does the course suggest planners can save the world at their jobs?

The course suggests that planners, by working for the public good in a professional setting, can make a significant positive impact on society while earning a professional salary, unlike other fields where individuals may need to volunteer their time to make a difference.

What is the significance of the career map shared by Miguel Vasquez?

Miguel Vasquez's career map illustrates the non-traditional and flexible nature of planning careers, showing that career paths may involve multiple roles, changes, and unexpected turns, and that success often requires a willingness to adapt and learn from mentors.

What kind of work might a planner interested in people and equity pursue?

A planner interested in people and equity may work in advocacy planning, social services planning, environmental justice, or other roles focused on human capital and social equity.

How does the course suggest you find out about different types of planning work?

The course recommends researching job descriptions, seeking informational interviews, job shadowing, and being open-minded to work in areas outside your initial preference to better understand the variety of roles and settings within planning.

What are the four core values that motivate planners, as discussed in the course?

The four core values are: 1) Care or love, motivating work in human capital and social equity, 2) Justice, leading to work in affordable housing or environmental remediation, 3) Truth, motivating work in scientific and technical areas like environmental work, and 4) Beauty, leading to roles in urban design and placemaking.