Transportation planning vs computer programming

[Owego]

I'm currently at the begging of a masters degree in planning with a concentration in transportation and GIS. It's a very interesting field, but I'm worried about my prospects when I graduate, and even more worried about potential for career advancement. I'm passionate about planning, but passion doesn't pay the bills. This is particularly an issue because I'm a borderline case for aspergers and have very poor social skills/

I really like my GIS work, and have begun to think that I may enjoy physical programming too. I must admit I have a somewhat romanticized view of working for a tech startup. I've found a program that is designed to teach computer science to people with no experience. It's at a very reputable school and the end result is a masters degree. The only problem is significant debt, but I think it would pay off financially in the long run. Does this sound like a good idea or would you guys advise me to stop worrying so much and just stick with my passion?

[Masswich]

There's lots of room in Transportation Planning for people who may not be computer scientists but aren't afraid of a computer program. One of my first jobs after grad school was developing a travel demand model from scratch using an obscure program. It was fun, if a little silly. But it got me in the door and I learned a lot about the planning side.

I'd recommend looking for a job at an MPO doing the certification side of things. Probably don't need another degree.

[Backstrom]

That is ultimately your decision to make. It's no secret that job prospects are better for tech graduates than they are for planning grads. But I think Masswich has a good point-- a lot of MPOs hire transportation planners who do forecasting and other highly technical work. In fact, the last few MPO postings I've seen have programming as a desired qualification. It certainly wouldn't hurt to learn it.

[DetroitPlanner]

I work for an MPO and we have lots of folks to do things like modeling who are painfully shy. That being said, you won't get rich working at one. Yes it is better than a lot of jobs, but if you have many computer skills you may be better off financially being a hired gun. Companies and agencies like NASA and Microsoft seek him out.

[db_peligro]

I'm a self taught software engineer that's been in the field about 10 years, humanities undergrad. I got a MURP wanting to make a career transition but never did (combination of tough market plus huge pay cut which in the end I felt wasn't worth it).

If you have problems with social skills it will be a career limiter no matter what field you work in. Don't believe for a second that you don't need social skills to have a career in software. For people with the right mix of skills and the right personal characteristics (helps to be young and male) software can be quite lucrative but it is VERY competitive.

Personally, I'd do some self study and see if you have the aptitude and discipline for it. If you don't enjoy programming you are not going to be successful at it career-wise. There are TONS of free resources on the internet.

[The District]

computer programming is one of the best-suited skills for teaching over the web. check out coursera, edx, udacity, teamtreehouse, codeacademy, etc. if you really want an actual degree, georgia tech is about to start a masters in CS, taught over the web, for about $7k. obviously not the same as going to school in person, but for the price, this could be a very useful degree for the right person. however, the courses are going to end up being offered for free on udacity soon after they come out anyway, so unless you need the diploma, you could simply self-study the coursework rather than spend that money on tuition, however cheap.

on a related note, i think there's going to be real long term competitive value for those that combine a subject matter expertise (land use planning, transportation planning, whatever) with computer/web programming or technical skill. doing just one or the other will probably keep you employed, but combining the two will open more doors.