Go Irish (and Buckeyes!)

 

Hello everyone on UrbanOhio,

I am a long time lurker and I find a lot of great information off this website. I have a question which I know many people on this website can help me out with. I am currently an urban studies major with a concentration in planning at Cleveland State. I am a very big urbanist and I really enjoy Cleveland. I know there are a lot of Levin graduates on this forum so I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys have. I don't want to dive into your personal lives, but if you could give me some insight on what kind of career you got into after graduating that would be great. Thanks.

Welcome!

 

I guess I'll be the first to step forward.

 

I completed your current program at the Levin College and enjoyed it so much that I decided to pursue an MUPDD with a focus on housing and neighborhood development.  Since receiving my master's, I've been working with a community development corporation here in Cleveland where my position focuses primarily on real estate development.

 

What is it that you're interested in?  I think that, as a student, the best thing you can do is intern, volunteer, attend meetings, and network.  In addition to being seen and getting your name out there, you'll receive a better sense of what kind of position you'd like to pursue.  There are a lot of Levin grads in the field who remember their roots and are inclined to help students.  They're a good resource regardless of your area of interest.

 

Feel free to post or PM me if you have questions.

Viking, check your PM.

Hi there.

 

I earned my MUPDD at Levin about ten years ago, but did not at the time have any planning experience (I was working full-time and a half while working part time on my Master's).  Fortunately, my capstone prof. was the deputy director at the regional planning agency where I now work.  I interned for about six months before being offered a full time job.

 

Presently, I work on a wide variety of sustainability issues, from bicycle and greenspace plans to water quality and habitat restoration projects to working with industrial companies to reduce waste and pollution.  Sometimes my work is directly related to my planning degree, and sometimes it isn't.

 

PM me if you want more information, and good luck!

VikingGuy, get your MUPDD if you can and do good internships there.  I went through the undergrad program at Levin after spending some time in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and City Planning at Ohio State.  Since I wanted to be involved in Cleveland stuff, I moved back to get my degree there. 

 

It was frustrating to get a job doing what I wanted there (thats why your internships and connections you make there are so important!) and since I wasnt ready to pursue the MUPDD program, moved to DC to gain other experiences (so far all in boring Fed. govt. entities and most currently doing grant management work for the government)

 

Since I really have missed Cleveland and being involved there, I have for a while tried to move back and have looked for work relating to either my more recent Washington experiences or ground floor kind of planning work...  Im also considering the MUPPD thing...

 

Good luck!

 

Musky?