should I quit my job to pursue a masters in planning?

[4ever_calzone]

I currently work in financial services and make about 50k. I am 23 and have a b.s. in biology. I have been doing a lot of soul searching and I am very interested in urban planning.

I am currently in a fairly comfortable situation financially, but I am very bored with my job and I am 95% sure I don't want to work in the financial services industry. I get no satisfaction from it and I feel very aimless and purposeless right now

From what ive read, the job market seems pretty rough for planners right now... if I quit my job to go back to school for urban planning, will I be kicking myself once I graduate? What is the reality of the job market for graduates of planning programs?

Thanks in advance

[jwhitty]

Why do you want to be a planner? How would it be different than your current situation?

[stroskey]

With your finance background you may be able to get in with a consultant or grant writer.

Starting basic planner jobs start anywhere from 35-45k depending where you are.

Make sure planning is what you want rather than just to get our of your current situation. If you just want to get out and have no ties to planning it may not be the best bet for you.

[nrschmid]

Never EVER quit a full time a job with benefits to go back to school. Go back to school part time while working full time. There are several reasons:

1. Your opportunity cost changes (the amount of money you could be earning full time versus the alternative).
2. Health care. Plenty of colleges and universities are cutting back health care coverage for students due to Obamacare. For the time being, mid-size and large employers are still keeping their group plans intact, although it will vary from company to company.
3. Quitting a job is voluntarily leaving. In the event you decide not to go to school and return to work it will be very difficult to earn unemployment compensation.

The only benefit you get from going to school full time after working is completing the degree program faster, maybe a year or two. Having been laid off multiple times as a planner, cashing in two 401ks to stay afloat and paying a TON for COBRA insurance while looking for work, a stable job is a roof over your head and money in the bank (if you live within your means). If you are interested in planning issues, have you considered volunteering your time at a non-for-profit, getting appointed to a plan commission (easier said than done) or doing some other activity outside of your job to get involved with planning?

[jobaba]

I currently work in financial services and make about 50k. I am 23 and have a b.s. in biology. I have been doing a lot of soul searching and I am very interested in urban planning.

I am currently in a fairly comfortable situation financially, but I am very bored with my job and I am 95% sure I don't want to work in the financial services industry. I get no satisfaction from it and I feel very aimless and purposeless right now

From what ive read, the job market seems pretty rough for planners right now... if I quit my job to go back to school for urban planning, will I be kicking myself once I graduate? What is the reality of the job market for graduates of planning programs?

Thanks in advance

Most of my classmates were able to find FT jobs, though it took some of them a while.

Since your degree is unrelated to your current field and you are only a year out of school, I'd say you are giving up almost nothing. That said, I think the doing the Masters PT is a good idea. Planning classes are not all that difficult. A lot of my classmates took two or even three classes at a time while working FT. That would be impossible in say, Chemical Engineering.

The other thing I would suggest is applying now and see if they give you funding. Planning schools for some reason are really good about giving funding. They might make it so that it costs you virtually nothing. And if that is the case, I'd take that option.

[4ever_calzone]

i would prefer to go back to school full time, but you guys are right... it may not be the wisest thing to do.

it would also be difficult to justify going into debt to get a job that pays less than my current job. i live in a pretty expensive area (DC metro) and i feel like things would be very tight if i was making less money and had the added burden of student loans. anyone else want to chime in on starting salaries and earnings potential in this field?

what about salaries for those working in consulting positions? my current job title is "investment consultant." im not sure if that would make me more employable as a consultant with a planning degree or not though...

thanks for the responses

[Vancity]

I have been working full time while attending school for the last 2 years. I used to take 2 courses at a time but recently bumped it to 3, and there has been little effect on the quality of my school work (actually it went up...) and I don't find I have "less time" (although I obviously do, I just manage it better) ... It's hard at first but you can adapt quickly if it's what you really want to do. And not adding any more debt onto my student loan from 4 years ago is the nicest part of all. Full time work during school is entirely doable, easy even.... And I think it is a much better alternative to taking on debt, and having financial stress eating at your mind while in school.... The stress of too little time is much more manageable than the stress of too little money, in my opinion.

[Derek Lloyd]

Like Vancity, I recently completed my studies and graduated from a Masters program while working full-time. It wasn't always easy, but it can be done (it helps when most of your classes are night classes). I started off taking 2 classes a semester, then increased to 3 once I got used to the pacing and developed a study strategy. The tricky part is when you have courses that conflict with your work hours. In my case I was allowed by my employer to make up the missed hours up by working late - I think this worked because I pre-sold them on the benefit that having a planner on staff would provide the firm after graduation, so they worked with me on making my time up. Bottom line, I wouldn't advise quitting your job to pursue this if it can be avoided. But by all means, pursue what you believe will make you happy and give you career satisfaction.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

[bostonplanner]

I quit a high-paying (about six figures) job, also in finance, to go back to urban planning school full time. It wasn't an easy decision but after countless hours considering everything I felt that planning was what I wanted to do with my life, and I have had no regrets. I was able to find a job quickly after graduation (although far less paying, but I knew that would be the case with this career), which was fortunate. I think it's helpful to get the insight of responders on this forum, but remember that this is a very small subset of people, and I would discount anyone who gives you a definitive yes/no answer. In the end, it's a personal decision based upon weighing the pros/cons (which extend beyond financial considerations).

[Raf]

what about salaries for those working in consulting positions? my current job title is "investment consultant." im not sure if that would make me more employable as a consultant with a planning degree or not though...

thanks for the responses

Salaries for those working in consulting vary greatly based on location, position, etc. My former intern recently took an entry level position that only paid $45K in the Bay Area. Very very low imo, however, it was the dream job he wanted, for a good firm, and I explained to him if you want it, take it, but you are slave labor for the next year or so until you can walk in and demand more. As a new grad, you can't command much in salary without experience.

[gtpeach]

I work for a rural/suburban county in central VA. My MS is in public policy, and prior to my entry-level planning job, I had about three years of experience doing transportation policy research, which isn't directly related, but at least has some correlation to the field. As an entry-level planner, I made low $30s. I've worked at my county for almost five years. I just recently passed the AICP exam and got promoted to County Planner, which is a mid-level position. My salary is now mid-$40s. There is a fairly low cost of living where I am, so that's a reasonable salary for me, but keep in mind that a lot of career advice to people looking for planning-related jobs is to look in more rural areas. I'm guessing my starting salary isn't too far off-base from what a lot of entry-level planners in rural areas make.

Good luck with your decision!

[4ever_calzone]

thanks again for all the input so far.

is it typical for planners to start out working in rural areas? i would really prefer to live and work in a major urban area - especially the washington DC area. being near friends/family/other young professionals is very important to me. i would be wiling to relocate, but preferably to mid-sized or large city

i am registered to take the GRE in december. i think i will apply to some programs for fall '14 and see where i can get accepted and/or offered financial aid

[reimaginethis]

thanks again for all the input so far.

is it typical for planners to start out working in rural areas? i would really prefer to live and work in a major urban area - especially the washington DC area. being near friends/family/other young professionals is very important to me. i would be wiling to relocate, but preferably to mid-sized or large city

i am registered to take the GRE in december. i think i will apply to some programs for fall '14 and see where i can get accepted and/or offered financial aid

First, a shout-out to bostonplanner, whose post I very much appreciated -- mainly because it largely reflects my own background. I left a great job and career to go to planning school. While things haven't been perfect for me since finishing my MCRP and beginning my planning career (eight years in now), I have no regrets about leaving something I didn't want to do for something I did want to do. I'll only live once.

Now, on to your question...I would say that it is not typical for planners to start out working in rural areas. (I'm assuming you really mean 'rural' and not 'suburban' here.) Generally, planning is either absent altogether or very limited in rural communities/counties. In my neck of the woods, it is not uncommon for rural communities/counties to have one person or a couple of people who handle planning, zoning, permits, building inspections, and even code enforcement. Needless to say, these folks tend to have building codes backgrounds rather than planning backgrounds. Of course, this varies from state to state, region to region -- but it is typical for rural areas in many Southern states.

I don't give career advice other than this: Do what works for you.

Best wishes.