Considering urban planning - best way to get a taste of the profession?
I am considering a career change from marketing to urban planning, however before committing to a two-year masters program, I hope to get first hand experience with the profession. I would like to offer my services as a marketing manager and contribute to a firm’s marketing efforts at no salary, in return for the opportunity to observe the day-to-day nature of the profession and perhaps shadow a member of the staff for a day. Is this is a realistic option, or more specifically does anyone know of any planning firms that might be interested in such an arrangement? Opportunities in the New York metropolitan area would be ideal. Any other suggestions for ways in which I could get first hand experience with planning would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help.
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Couple ideas........
I'm not sure how much you would actually learn by shadowing a staff member for only a day. My duties are different every day, depending on what time of the month it is and what public hearings/meetings are scheduled, or what special projects we are working on, etc. One way to get some Planning time in is to volunteer on the City/Town Planning Commission. We are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to serve on the Commission, and there are lots of opportunities for involvement and training. We typically send our Commissioners to several conferences a year, they get training once or twice a month, and they hold public hearings once a month. The meetings are typically in the evening in our town, so it doesn't interfere with the Commissioner's work schedule. The way I got experience after graduating from College was by volunteering for a local (private) planning consultant. I typically met with their planning staff at lunch time, and they provided me with a project. I would then work on it at night and on weekends. It opened the door for me to get my first "real" planning job, and I got to get my feet wet without wreaking havoc with my existing job. Good luck!