Urban Planner Career Fundamentals Course
A course designed to help you gain clarity, market yourself effectively, network, and set yourself up for success in your urban planning career.
I have helped hundreds of planners and aspiring planners land new planning roles, make big career pivots and become more successful, advancing their careers and their impact.
Inside Urban Planner Career Fundamentals, you can discover the 4 essential pillars to skyrocketing your planning career. These foundational principles form the cornerstone of my work with urban planners:
- Clarity around where you want to go
- Marketing yourself well (think about your internet presence, cover letters, resume, how you interview, your professional reputation or “personal brand”)
- Building, nurturing, and leveraging your professional relationships (your professional network); and
- Continuously developing yourself and your skills as a planner
Your Instructor: Kristy Kilbourne
MES (Pl.), AICP, MCIP, RPP
Hi! I’m Kristy! I am a passionate urban planner and career coach to many planners and aspiring planners from around the world. I am also a planning practice researcher and expert in the field of planning practice.
I started supporting urban planners with their careers almost 5 years ago because I noticed a big gap in mentorship around career development specifically within the profession. I have had the opportunity to support hundreds of planners and aspiring planners across the U.S., Canada, and beyond to achieve their career goals through 1-on-1 coaching - and thousands more through workshops, free online content, and my e-mail newsletters.
Through the Urban Planner Career Fundamentals Course, I have compiled all of my key resources and trainings related to landing a great planning role in one place - a living and growing online course - to help make career support for urban planners more accessible and on-demand.
“Kristy's coaching has directly taught me how to boost my probabilities in landing planning roles that align with my own passions and has indirectly taught me more about myself, different ways of thinking, strategizing and connecting with planners in the field.” – Josh
The Course
Shortcut your time to landing a great planning role, making a transition, or getting a promotion!
The Urban Planner Career Fundamentals Course will teach you everything you need to know to launch your planning career or make a pivot.
Through a series of recorded trainings, exercises, resources, and frequently updated bonus materials, course participants will:
- Embark on a journey to gain clarity about their urban planning career path, learning about different opportunities and specializations within this broad and exciting field, how to narrow down and focus on areas of interest, and identify any existing skill or knowledge gaps that may need to be addressed.
- Learn effective strategies to market themselves as top candidates for urban planning roles, focusing on showcasing their unique strengths and qualifications.
- Recognize the importance of and experience the benefits of building, growing, nurturing, and leveraging their professional networks
- Learn how to navigate the job application process effectively, identifying appropriate planning jobs that align with their skills, experience, and interests, and creating compelling resumes and cover letters that stand out to potential employers.
- Gain important knowledge and tools to excel in planning job interviews.
- Feel more confident and set up for success in their planning career.
“The biggest wins and shifts I felt from working with Kristy was greater confidence in my ability, skills and knowledge as a planner and in how I present myself in the job search process from networking to applications and interviews.” - Sebastian
The UPCF Course is perfect for you if:
- You are launching or re-launching your planning career
- You are enrolled in a planning or planning adjacent program of study (the earlier you learn the “career fundamentals”, the better off you’ll be as you approach graduation!)
- You have been trying unsuccessfully to land a planning role or get a promotion over a number of months (or even years!)
- You are a professional trying to make a pivot into planning from another field or into the North American job market from other parts of the world
- You are an experienced practicing planner who hasn’t been job searching recently in the planning field and/or in current job market conditions.
Once, inside the UPCF Course, you will be able to:
- Learn the most valuable things they don’t teach in most planning schools that will help you to launch, grow or make a pivot in your urban planning career.
- Not just settle for planning or planning-adjacent roles that aren’t aligned with your interests, values, and strengths – this is the biggest path to burnout and a lot more effort on your job search.
- Gain a competitive advantage and stand out in tougher job markets, and reduce the time it takes to successfully land a great planning role, especially for those who have little to no planning work experience, or experience from a different geographic area.
- Feel more confident in your career path, your abilities as a planner, and your professional brand.
- Set yourself up for success, not only for starting out or for the next step of your planning career but for a more fulfilling and successful
UPCF Course Overview
Welcome
Foundations of a Successful and Fulfilling Planning Career
Building, Growing and Nurturing Your Professional Network
The “Strategic” Planning Job Search
Interviewing and Getting Set Up for Success in Your New Role
The urban planning field and job market changes rapidly.
The exciting thing about UPCF is that it is a LIVING course.
