So, you’ve made the decision that you want to secure your first job in urban planning and kickstart your career in this direction. However, you may suddenly stop and think;
“Wait, how do I actually get my first job?”
What do I need to know, which hurdles do I need to jump over and what steps do I need to take? These are all the things you’re going to need to know. So, to make it easy for you, here’s a complete guide to everything you need to know in order to get yourself onto the first rung of the urban planner career path.
Step #1 – Gain a Bachelor’s Degree
The first step you need to take on your way to becoming an urban planner is to get the qualifications you need. There are many available courses and degrees for you to choose from and many topics included.
Some of these topics will include;
- Public and private development
- Site planning
- Government and private budgets
- Urban area analysis skills
While a Bachelor’s degree such as this may be enough to secure a job role, you may also want to pursue another course, such as civil engineering or environmental design, depending on whether you want to specialise your skills or increase your chances of securing a job. You may also want to look into available internships.
Step #2 – Working for Your Master’s Degree
With your Bachelor’s degree under your belt, it’s time to move onto your Master’s. With an urban planning Master’s, you’ll be able to learn all about the details of the job, such as policy crafting and designing spaces based on people’s needs in that area.
You’ll also have a chance to learn all about environmental laws, building codes and regulations as well as a tonne of information on transport and other variables that you’ll need to know about.
Step #3 – Work Experience
After you’ve got your qualifications, it’s time to enter the world of work. Some university programs may implement work experience into your course, but some will not. Even if you’re not getting paid for it, it can be hugely beneficial to go into an urban planning office to see what they do.
“This will give you a feel for what the job is like and what each office and institute is looking for in new employees. All the information you’ll receive here is good information as it will give you a real insight into what life is like for an urban planner,” explains Jeffery Gooden, a career coach for Big Assignments.
Step #4 – Finding a Job
There are many jobs you could apply for when it comes to becoming an urban planner. Depending on which path you’ve taken in your degree options, you’ll be able to choose what job you want to have. Some key jobs to look out for include;
- Conversation officer
- Housing manager
- Local government officer
- Transport planner
- Town planner
- Environmental manager
- Sustainability consultant
- Landscape architect
- Community development worker
But this is just to name a few. Search in your local area to see what jobs are available and try applying for a few. Many businesses and government bodies may be more flexible than you think so even if you can get on the books with part-time hours, not only will you be getting paid, you’ll also have more experience to put on your resume.
Step #5 – Writing the Perfect Resume
“Writing your resume gets its own step because it’s simply so important. The job market in any industry is so fiercely competitive at the moment, and it shows no signs of slowing down or getting any calmer,” shares Nick Snelling, a career coach for Australian Help.
When you submit your resume, with a cover letter, into for a position, this is the first impression you’re going to give a potential employer, and you’ll need to prove your eye of detail and accuracy. Fortunately, there is a range of tools you can use to ensure your resume is the very best it can be.
- Resume Service: A resume-building website so you can write a properly structured resume.
- Easy Word Counter & Grammarix: Two tools for checking the word count of your resume, as well as the accuracy of the grammar.
- Academized & Assignment Help: Reviewed by Simple Grad in Academized review, these two leading proofreading services help to clean up errors in your resume.
- Cite It In & Via Writing: Two free online tools to help you add references to your resume and improve your writing skills.
- PaperFellows & OXEssays: Two writing consultancy services, as recommended by the Huffington Post in Write My Essay article, to help you with your writing abilities.
- State of Writing & My Writing Way: Two blogs full of writing guides to help you improve your overall writing skills.
- UK Writings: An online editing tool to help your resume hold structure.
And then you’re there. Once you’ve secured your first job as an urban planner, it will be up to you to work hard and to make your way up the ladder. Just remember to research what kind of urban planner job role you want to get yourself into, and you can be sure that you’ll find the job that you’re happy doing! Good luck!