Trying again without the personal backstory.
Are there roles within urban planning/housing/community development that lean into historic research/preservation. Especially in cities with a long history of policy that impacts access to housing for marginalized groups? If so, what does that look like?
Looking for advice on degree plans and career trajectory. Perhaps just validation that my plan makes sense.
I’m in my early-40s and returned to school last year to pursue a second Bachelor degree and probably a Masters as part of a career change. I have a BA in English, am a Veteran, and spent 8 years as a Realtor (residential). My time as a Realtor really shined a light on housing inequities, especially where I live. In thinking of a career change, I began looking at jobs with city and county government, and saw that most jobs in Planning or Housing and Community Development require a degree in Urban Planning or similar.
I went back to school as a Geography & Environmental Studies major and added a Public History minor as a way to maximize my GI Bill benefits. I completely fell in love with the study of history, and ended up adding it as a second major. So far, the History courses I’ve taken complement my career plans, but I’m at a point that if I keep the major, I will spend an extra 2 semesters studying history that isn’t directly relevant to my career plans.
If I downgrade my History major to a minor, I can graduate in the Spring and roll right into a Masters program. Doing this will allow me to completely fund my second BA and MS with my GI Bill. I plan to volunteer with housing nonprofits and/or intern/work in the field in whatever way I can throughout my entire academic career.
I’m currently interning with a historic preservation nonprofit conducting a research project on how local and federal policies around housing (segregation, redlining, slum clearance, urban renewal, etc) have impacted the design of city I live in as well as access to housing and other socioeconomic factors, with mapped out census data for every decade going back 100+ years. It is a perfect blend of both of my majors, and once the project is complete it will be published on the nonprofit’s website and I plan to present it at my school’s annual research day in the spring.
My only concern with my plan is that I’ve really fallen in love with the study of history. I guess I need to hear that my plan for an MS in Geography and Environmental Systems can involve historical research. I really enjoy doing research, to the point where I’m also considering academia as a possible career path.
If anyone in the field can offer their opinion on my plan or share insight about the field, I would greatly appreciate it. I also want to add that I do have an academic advisor in each major, have discussed this at length with both of them, and am seeking outside perspective because I can tell they each understandably bring a bit of bias toward their chosen field.
Looking for advice on degree plans and career trajectory. Perhaps just validation that my plan makes sense.
I’m in my early-40s and returned to school last year to pursue a second Bachelor degree and probably a Masters as part of a career change. I have a BA in English, am a Veteran, and spent 8 years as a Realtor (residential). My time as a Realtor really shined a light on housing inequities, especially where I live. In thinking of a career change, I began looking at jobs with city and county government and saw that most jobs in Housing and Community Development require a degree in Urban Planning or similar.
I went back to school as a Geography & Environmental Studies major and added a Public History minor as a way to maximize my GI Bill benefits. I completely fell in love with the study of history, and ended up adding it as a second major. So far, the History courses I’ve taken complement my career plans, but I’m at a point that if I keep the major, I will spend an extra 2 semesters studying history that isn’t directly relevant to my career plans.
If I downgrade my History major to a minor, I can graduate in the Spring and roll right into a Masters program. Doing this will allow me to completely fund my second BA and MS with my GI Bill. I plan to volunteer with housing nonprofits and/or intern/work in the field in whatever way I can throughout my entire academic career. I’m also currently working as a research assistant for one of my professors, but that work isn’t directly related to my career goals.
I’m currently interning with a historic preservation nonprofit conducting a research project on how local and federal policies around housing (segregation, redlining, slum clearance, urban renewal, etc) have impacted the design of city I live in as well as access to housing and other socioeconomic factors, with mapped out census data for every decade going back 100+ years. It is a perfect blend of both of my majors, and once the project is complete it will be published on the nonprofit’s website and I plan to present it at my school’s annual research day in the spring. I’m also thinking it could be the basis of my Masters thesis.
My only concern with my plan to downgrade to a History minor and graduate next year is that I’ve really fallen in love with the study of history. I guess I need to hear that my plan for an MS in Geography and Environmental Systems can involve historical research. I really enjoy doing research, to the point where I’m also considering academia as a possible career path.
Does this plan make sense? Is there anything I should consider changing?
If anyone in the field can offer their opinion on my plan or share insight about the field, I would greatly appreciate it. I also want to add that I do have an academic advisor in each major, have discussed this with both of them, and am seeking outside perspective because I can tell they each understandably bring a bit of bias toward their chosen field.
I’m a commuter student and want to start using the RAC. Do we need our own locks for the lockers? The website says we do, but then the photos on the website show lockers with keypads.