Starting a Planning Career in a New Location

Knowing a lot about a place sure helps you in a new job, any kind of job. If you don't know about a place, you shouldn't lie about it or be reduced to begging and pleading. And if you just graduated, all you really have to do is showcase your skills. Maybe you are a quick learner and can adapt well to new situations and environments. Plus, it's not like even a veteran planner or a long-time resident of a place knows EVERYTHING about it or about all planning topics...

I thought I was going to get out of grad school knowing everything I needed to know to be a planner and having all the skills people want you to have. I wish I would have known this would never happen before going to grad school because it would have saved me a lot of frustration with the program and professors.

However, I feel that I realized which skills are the ones that matter and the extent of my ability to learn on my own. Your character is really what allows you to compete for jobs, because knowledge of planning and of a place is common to alot of job seekers, and, if not, it can be acquired. I would do the research, before or while applying, to see if the place actually would give me the work experience I want. In the end, the decision goes both ways, so you can only be sure of what you want and know. Uncertainty always makes me feel vulnerable, but you find ways to deal with that feeling. At least that's something I learned after going to grad school in a place that couldn't be more different than the one I came from.

Hope that helps.

It's uncertain what your immediate goals are. Are you looking for a graduate planning program, or do you want to begin professional work in planning? As far as finding a place to live and work, treat these goals separately, one at a time. I suspect very few end up planning where they went to school. Many leave school to work in cities they've never lived in, but that's okay - it doesn't take a long time before planners get intimate with the places they work for. And if you work for a consultant, you will almost always be doing work for a client or jurisdiction that is different than where you live. And most often than not, many planners end up working for several cities and organizations, in both the public, private or even non-profit sectors before it calling quits. Try interning at a few organizations to get a taste of what your future might be like. Good luck with your search.