Paralegal to planner?

[plurban]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and would like to advice from any experienced planners out there. I'm currently a paralegal at a boutique firm and want to make the switch over to the urban planning field. My educational background is a BA in Sociology, so my interests in planning stems more from my college career than my current legal track. Any advice how to spin my legal research skills and law experience to help me land an entry-level planning job, internship or anything that is more planning related? I'd like to get exposure to the field and do something that produces more concrete ideas and a little less dull...

Also, I'm planning on applying to MUP/MCP programs and am having trouble writing my personal statement. Since my interest in urban planning has been from my personal experiences (i.e. places I've lived, public spaces, organizations, etc.) and not my career, spinning my statement to connect how and why urban planning is the next step in my career has been a challenge. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you all!

[GreenBean]

I made the jump to planner from Interior Designer, and did it by going back for a MURP degree. It was probably the best decision I have ever made. I suggest that you go back to school as well, since most of what I received in grad school was a paradigm shift-- it's probably impossible to accrue all the knowledge you need in two years, but a good program should teach you to think like a planner... something I only realized I was learning in retrospect. Good luck to you.