APA salary survey

[Planderella]

Dear Planning Professional,

The American Planning Association and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, want to provide planning professionals like you with information that will help you and your organization succeed.

We have asked MemberSurvey.com, an independent research company, to survey US planning professionals to develop a profile of their professional activities and compensation. Your reply is vital for valid results. Of course, your answers will be handled in strict confidence by MemberSurvey.com, and will be used only in tabulation with others. No respondent-identifiable or organization-identifiable information will be published in the report.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by pointing your web browser to:

http://www.membersurvey.com/apa/esurvey.asp?xrsnqllhx

Thank you in advance for helping APA/AICP bring this benefit to our profession.


W. Paul Farmer, AICP
Executive Director
American Planning Association

P.S. As a further token of appreciation, all respondents will be entered into a drawing for one of five $100 coupons, good for purchases from the Planners Book Service in the APA Store. Please complete the survey today!

Hurry up kids!!! Don't want to miss out on your chance to win $100 to spend at the Planners Book Service!!!!! 8-!

Don't be surprised if your dues increase as a result of this survey.

 

[Repo Man]

Maybe if we all lie, we can convince current and future employers that we deserve more money to be in line with what planners make.

 

[Big Easy King]

I thought about taking the survey, but I'm holding off for now. I think APA should scratch the coupon idea and pay each member the 100 bucks as a rebate for such costly membership dues!

Where's my $100 APA? ;-) :-D

 

[JNA]

Question # 13 - potential sore spot about who pays.

 

[otterpop]

After they see what the county pays me APA may just feel so sorry for me they will refund me all my past dues. B-)

 

[Cardinal]

Don't be surprised if your dues increase as a result of this survey.

Yes. that is a real concern. It is not too anonymous if they ask for your zip code and e-mail address. I took advantage of the comment section to once again make a point about the high cost of APA membership, the lack of services included at no extra cost by other national organizations, and the cost of conferences. I suggested that APA use this information to re-evaluate its pricing to make membership and benefits affordable to planners with limited salaries and employers with tight budgets. I hope others will echo these concerns.

 

[Dan]

Maybe if we all lie, we can convince current and future employers that we deserve more money to be in line with what planners make.

Chicks dig ethical planners. Please don't lie on the APA survey, and don't download pirated music.

This message (not) brought to you by the American Planning Association. not

 

[michaelskis]

There was no BITE ME choice... I told the truth, only because my job pays my way.

 

[GeoTech]

If you want to get rich...Leave Now !!!

During the first week of graduate school at the University at Buffalo's Dept of Architecture and Planning, Professor David Perry said, "If you want to get rich...you should leave now." I stayed and still don't regret my decision (only slightly at those all-nighter board meetings).

The Rolling Stones said "you don't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you'll find, you get what you need."

Honestly, I wouldn't want to be doing anything else...Unless I won the Lottery.

 

[Plannerbabs]

I wouldn't want to be doing anything else, either. I left the comments section blank too, but now I wish I'd filled it in. Am seriously debating whether renewing is even worth it, and if they raise the dues because of the survey (although they should lower them!), I'm out.
Nope, scratch that, I just checked dues for similar professional organizations, and APA is still a bargain. By a lot. Boy, am I glad I didn't pursue architecture....

 

[PlannerGirl]

I gave them an ear full.

 

[Cardinal]

I wouldn't want to be doing anything else, either. I left the comments section blank too, but now I wish I'd filled it in. Am seriously debating whether renewing is even worth it, and if they raise the dues because of the survey (although they should lower them!), I'm out.
Nope, scratch that, I just checked dues for similar professional organizations, and APA is still a bargain. By a lot. Boy, am I glad I didn't pursue architecture....

Remember to add APA and AICP together if you want to compare pricing to AIA or ASLA.

 

[Plannerbabs]

Remember to add APA and AICP together if you want to compare pricing to AIA or ASLA.

I looked at the associate membership prices for AIA and ASLA, the category for general design professionals. Even with adding AICP, at my pay scale, APA is cheaper. Especially since I haven't shelled out for AICP yet. That's a whole other issue.

 

[Richmond Jake]

Bump

I received the APA AICP 2008 Salary Survey yesterday. I did my duty and honestly answered the questions.

Anybody else get it?

 

[luckless pedestrian]

yes - I did it too - I think it's helpful to know

 

[NHPlanner]

Sent mine back in this morning.

 

[Planit]

FIlled it out (honestly) and sent it back. The man pays my dues so I felt I should.

Thought it was interesting about tthe zip code question though.

 

[NHPlanner]

Thought it was interesting about tthe zip code question though.

I believe they use that for their demographic breakdown in reporting (by state, population served, etc.).

 

[KSharpe]

I feel like my grad school kind of deceived me. They said I would start in the mid-forties, which I certainly did not.

 

[PlannerGirl]

I filled it out yesterday

 

[Suburb Repairman]

Sent in my survey, along with these comments:

CM, while a good idea, has been poorly executed. The tight deadline has sections and chapters scrambling across the country trying to help their membership maintain their AICP (I am an executive board member of my section), assuming they even have the resources or ability to offer CM credits. This is further complicated by the excessive hoops and costs organizations and events must encounter in trying to make them eligible. In addition, the online offerings are meager and overpriced. In fact, the "overpriced" comment goes for much of the CM program. Cash-strapped public agencies often make their first cuts in continuing education, leaving us to struggle with whether to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars of our own money to maintain AICP, or pay for necessities in our personal lives.

Basically, in a sad bit of irony, the AICP CM program seems to have suffered from a complete lack of planning.

 

[TOFB]

Yes with an explanation why I took a huge pay cut for sanity sake.

 

[JNA]

Responded.

Still bothered by the question about those so called benefits paid for by Teh Man, like APA/AICP dues and conference registration.
:-D

 

[PlannerByDay]

I got it and answered the questionss honestly.

However with that said I let them have it in the comments section regarding the AICP CM requirements and fees, and the lack of responsiveness to e-mails and phone calls I've made to different people in the Chicago office.