I used to have interns. Probably hundreds of them, if you add them up over the years. I lorded over them all—benevolently, of course—while they, with doe eyes and studied eagerness, did whatever they could to impress me and my colleagues. Then this week, at orientation for the University of Pennsylvania’s master of city planning program, I sat in the crowd, one face out of about 70. A plebe once again. Talk about humbling.
I used to have interns. Probably hundreds of them, if you add them up over the years. I lorded over them all-benevolently, of course-while they, with doe eyes and studied eagerness, did whatever they could to impress me and my colleagues.
Then this week, at orientation for the University of Pennsylvania's master of city planning program, I sat in the crowd, one face out of about 70. A plebe once again.
Talk about humbling.
The interns were sometimes infuriating, sometimes hilarious, but always good for cocktail party conversation. There was Steven-the-child-pornographer-intern (a whiz on the Internet!). Cara-the-unstable-intern, who wrote a rambling, pathos-laden two-page screed that she forced me to recite aloud during her interview. Lana-the-overenthusiastic-Russian-intern, who propositioned me during her interview. (All names have been changed to protect the unpaid.)
Now, though, all that you're-hired-or-fired power is gone. I'm back in the cheap seats, getting ordered around and assigned homework, and needing to impress professors from the jump.
On one hand, the bottom-rung camaraderie is nice to have again. I'm on the older side of my class-I'm 28, while the average age is probably 24 or 25-but everyone feels very much in the same boat, regardless of past work experience. We old-heads aren't particularly looked down upon, and college campuses have a youthful energy that benefits everyone.
On the other hand, when the cops showed up at our too-loud class party late last Friday night, I felt pretty damn old.
Our distance from legal drinking age notwithstanding, most of these planners-to-be seem to have the same overarching goal: to get a job that will make a difference in cities around the world, and one that will pay off our student loans (not necessarily in that order). People are here to learn, yes, but in choosing classes, finding internships and preparing work, the ultimate question everyone asks is: How employable will this make me?
Much of that, I think, is at Penn's urging. They continually emphasize the fact that ours is a terminal degree program, and they encourage us to do whatever we can to make ourselves more marketable as planners. Plus, they know how much they're charging for tuition, and so know just how serious our debt is going to be.
But while nearly all of us have our soon-to-be professional planning careers on the brain, the faculty don't quite know how to gauge our cohort. In both pre-semester bootcamp and orientation, some of our department chair's references (The Sopranos went off the air just more than a year ago) have been less dated than others (who exactly is Gomer Pyle?). But this week, in speaking to our entire class, he questioned if we knew who John freaking Lennon was in telling us one of his favorite quotations: "Life is what happens while you are making other plans."
Not sure which is worse: that he questioned whether we knew John Lennon, or what that quotation might connote about plans to a room full of future planners.
Maybe if I aim really high, and follow all of the school's instructions on how to make myself more employable after graduation, I'll end up in a position where I have interns again. Hopefully, this time, without indecent proposals attached.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
