<p>I'm interested in urban planning but I fear the field is not lucrative and that for practical purposes I'd be better off just getting a degree in architecture or engineering. Is it possible for urban planners to earn high salaries and is an urban planning degree worth pursuing? </p>
<p>Which are the best public schools to earn urban planning degrees from? I'm in the Mid-Atlantic area.</p>
<p>I'm good with numbers but also very creative. I'm not good at visual arts per se, but I'm good with concepts and I like working independently. Based on these characteristics am I a better fit for urban planning, architecture or engineering?</p>
<p>An additional bonus question - is there any sort of rivalry between urban planners, architects and civil engineers? Do any of these 3 types of professionals look down their noses at the other or is there any sort of tension between them? It would be interesting, though not necessarily important, to know how each of these types of professionals views the other before deciding which team to join.</p>
<p>Here’s the skinny:</p>
<ul>
<li>No, urban planning is not lucrative.</li>
<li>Architecture isn’t lucrative either, unless you’re at the very top of your field.</li>
<li>Engineering, although fairly well payed out of school, hits a ceiling pretty quick.</li>
</ul>
<p>I think you need to be careful about looking for "lucrative’ degrees. Basically the only degrees that can guarantee you a high salary are an MD, or an MBA or a JD from a top ranked school and many, many people who work in those fields are unsatisfied (I think lawyers have some of the lowest job satisfaction rates among professionals). Try to find something that you will excel at and will stimulate you and, in most cases, a respectable but not lucrative living will follow.</p>
<p>Many moons ago I was an Applied Geography/Urban Planning major (UG). I did a few MPA courses, while I was in my early working years (local gov’t. urban planning). I was recruited by a building industry association to work for them as a lobbyist. Though my salary wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad either and I really enjoyed my job. Other planners I knew went on to establish their own consulting firms and are doing VERY well. There were a few who also went on to get a law degree and have done quite well in real estate law…so as long as you don’t get yourself pigeon-holed in the public sector you can make a decent living. But as the above-poster said, don’t pick a career based on how much you expect to make…do something you enjoy and the money will follow.</p>
<p>I shouldn’t have categorically said that urban planners are poorly paid. As the above poster mentioned, you can parlay your degree into some fairly well paying areas such as lobbying or working in real estate development. I was just pointing out that the median incomes of urban planners are fairly average.</p>