Why Choose a Career in Planning?

The planning profession is centrally concerned with improving the future well­being of individuals in society and the quality of life in the communities within which we live. As a planner, you will have a wide range of potential opportunities to advance the goals of society. We work at every scale, from programs affecting the entire nation to analyses and plans for individual development sites. A trademark of professional planners is that we bring a comprehensive viewpoint to public problems and issues. Even so, you will find your niche within the breadth of the planning profession; you might prepare a revitalization plan for a downtown, rewrite a local zoning code that guides the next decade of development, prepare a natural resource atlas in Geographic Information System (GIS) for a growing county, engage in sustainability benchmarking for an environmental group, or tackle the vexing economic development issues in a rural, multi-county region. Whatever is your calling, the planning profession gives you one of the best opportunities to be personally rewarded by making a difference in your community and the world.