All,

I am an Urban Studies grad student at Southern Connecticut State in New Haven, CT. I only have a few more courses and a thesis to write, so I should graduate in May 2010. I am looking at internship opportunities for the Fall semester, preferably at a state agency or a nonprofit involved in planning and economic development. Because of the state's budget issues, even unpaid internships seem hard to find.

Additionally, I have a full time job in corporate IT. Because of the economy, I'm a bit hesitant to change fields, but I don't have any professional experience in planning or a field related to planning, and I'd really like the opportunity to get my feet wet. Also, I'm fortunate enough to be able to swing having little to no income coming in for the next 6 mos-1yr.

So I have a few questions - (1) does the student lounge have any suggestions about internships in CT? (2) what do you think the job outlook is for mid/late 2010?
(3) what type of internship or professional experience will complement an Urban Studies degree? (4) is there any career or school advice in general that anyone has?

Any advice would be much appreciated - I'm usually very conservative in terms of decisions like this, but I feel as if its important to take a few chances to pursue work in a field that I am very interested in.

Thank you