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You could use the terms city planner, zoning administrator or building official. I am appointed to the office of community development director. I face a lot of competing interests and ideas from the community, such as citizens that want to protect their neighborhood, businesses that are trying to do well, or even neighbors feuding over noise and parking spaces. With all these responsibilities, I'm really busy, but ultimately I try to bring new development into Urbana.

There are six major departments within the city. One of these is community development. I am the director of community development. My department is kind of a "catch-all" of community programs. The divisions in this department include planning, economic development, building safety and grant management. We are responsible to eight boards and commissions. These include historic preservation, public arts, housing and the city council. In terms of city politics, I would say my job is one of the easiest targets for citizen dissatisfaction and politician concern. I'm appointed every year to a position that is at a very visible level. You need to perform. Performance is essential. If the electorate doesn't feel I'm doing my job, my position will be reappointed or I'll be asked to resign. That's a pretty good motivator.

As a branch of the city government, we have targets set by the city council. I have to be responsive to their goals. There are many great ideas from the council and the public, but we cannot always tackle all of the ideas or find funding for them. I really try to listen, that is by far the most important thing. I have some influence in directing the goals but I try not to lobby people. I cannot be too opinionated. That is a recipe for failure. Our current council is hoping to improve our environment and reduce our carbon output. That will take a lot of work to accomplish. My job is to align the work of my department with these goals.

There is always more to accomplish than what we can actually get done. We can help by continuing to move forward on set plans. Government does have a tendency to get bogged down. Policy and environmental law have a huge influence on the way I approach issues. Staying up-to-date on legislation and balancing that with a compassion and understanding of the community goals is really important. I really try to advance the agenda, with the goal of creating a better quality of life for the population I serve. My purpose is to push people without irritating them. That's always a good challenge.

When I was pursuing my bachelor's degree at the University of Colorado, I was really interested in the environment. Focusing in the geography department, I majored in environmental conservation, but I actually didn't know what field I was heading towards until I took a seminar in planning during my junior year. Being a political junkie, I was excited by it and went on to take an honors seminar in the subject. I got an internship doing some mapping engineering, for my first professional project. Then I knew I wanted to apply to graduate school for a master's in environmental planning. I had a good academic record and was accepted into a top program at University of California, Berkley for the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Program. It was thrilling to be studying alongside brilliant individuals.

There was a firm in San Francisco developing environmental impact reports, and they hired me. My internship with environmental impact had given me the experience they wanted in traffic reporting. This began 10 years of dealing with big time developers. After some promotions, I switched to a larger firm and became a manager. Eventually I transferred to a Top 400 firm and managed enough clients that I practically had my own side business. My big break was landing a major contract with the city of Berkley as a consultant. In all these places, I worked for very talented people.

California environmental law kept me very busy. All coastal development required project reviews to comply with environmental standards. This is very technical work. I became an expert in policy and planning study. Businesses would hire me and cities would contract with me. I would attend meetings and press conferences and write project plans. Eventually, my husband landed a job in teaching, and we moved to Illinois.

Here in Illinois, there aren't the same environmental laws. My prospects for employment weren't good, but eventually I was picked up by a small private firm to do consulting work. As a young mother, I was only prepared to work part-time, and they were considerate of that. During this time, I also studied to receive my Ph.D. in regional planning. I did some research for the University of Illinois and even traveled to Germany for more research.

Eight years ago I began working for Urbana as an assistant city planner. When my supervisor left after two years, I lobbied hard and was promoted to my current position. Coming back to planning made me realize that how much I had missed it during the time I spent doing research. I can't advance to any higher position in this office, but it's not something I'm interested in pursuing. That would require me to move to a more urban setting and start back at the bottom of the ladder, working toward upper management again.

Right now, I'm a chairman of a national professional organization, the American Planning Association. I'd like to volunteer and give back now that I've found a very sturdy environment. I've got an excellent management team behind me, so my next move would be to take on a mentoring role, supporting the profession.

Actually, the thing I love most is that there is so much variety. Every day is different. I'm continuously working on a very diverse set of projects. There is a lot of running, but then I don't feel like I'm just sitting for hours in front of a computer, working on a single project. I'm always flowing from one meeting to the next and shifting gears for the next task.

Our department is in the city building, which opens at 7:30 each morning. Usually, I'll arrive between 8 and 8:30. Most of my time is spent in conference rooms and my office. Generally, I'll spend six hours a day in various meetings. I get double and triple booked for meetings, so attending is a balancing act. Individual office work is when I review project proposals from my staff. I'll always find something that isn't quite right or could use improvement. On top of this, I receive about five phone calls daily, and probably about a hundred emails. Between preparing for meetings, editing proposals and returning these communications, I'm usually in this building or other government buildings for 10 to 12 hours per day.

The first meeting of my day is usually an individual conference with one of the four managers who report to me. I meet with each of them one morning per week to set their schedules. We will talk about the projects they are currently focusing on and share questions and concerns. Also, once a week, I have a team meeting with all of the managers. It's a time to address office management or training issues and do some team building. Every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., I meet with the mayor and other department heads for a staff meeting. We talk about the council schedule and internal coordination among the departments. It's a great time for announcements and an opportunity to address the mayor, who is always very busy. I am also invited to business meetings with companies who are planning to develop in Urbana. Proposals and planning are a big part of corporate relations. Sometimes I'll have a working meeting with another department head to review drafts. These offshoot meetings last for stretches of a few months, until the project is completed.

Usually, I'm finished at my desk by 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. A few times a week, I'll have business dinners or a meeting relating to specific commissions to attend. Monday nights, for example, are always set aside for the city council. Someone has a conference or an open house that might be of importance to the city, so I will attend that. Public meetings make for a very full agenda.

Earning potential really depends on the individual, whether they are skilled and have a solid degree. Typically programs in planning are at the master's level, but you could enter with a bachelor's degree. Skill isn't the only factor for advancement. It also depends on whether you are working in a rural or urban area. A high growth-rate location will offer more earning potential. Entry-level jobs usually bring $35,000 to $45,000. After five years of experience at a certified managing level, you can move to the $60,000 to $80,000 range. You advance by being accomplished and talented, and could probably stay at that level for most of your career. Then if you can climb to management by showing people skills, you start reaching $120,000 per year. It's a rather narrow range, because those are all government figures. They aren't going to pay you terribly, but it is hard to make over $100,000.

I have almost five weeks of vacation per year, which is important to me because I'm a caretaker for my mother and spending time with my children is a high priority. Both a vehicle and a cell phone are provided to me. That is great. Health benefits are provided. Unlike a lot of jobs, I have a pension that is paid into.

Most weeks are 55 to 60 hours. I'm sure I've spent 65 hours a week working before, especially when I was younger and piling on hours with big crushing deadlines. In a slower paced community, you might get away with working 40 or 45 hours, and the other end of the scale could get excessive. When you begin to approach 70 hours you are losing an essential life-work balance, and quality suffers as a result. I have to have time to read a book or watch a movie.

As with any political job it is very high. It's been valuable to be involved in my church and community. You interact with other officials in environments like my local Rotary club, and you begin to appreciate them. It humanizes the professional dealings that are necessary for the job.

My job is a political appointment. If I wasn't hard-working and capable, there is no way I could continue to be reinstated each term. A job well done is not sufficient to hold on to the position, however. There is always the chance that a new mayor could be elected with the intent to clean house. Generally, it you are competent and don't antagonize people, you can make it through the first through years and develop a stable position.

This field is always changing. Originally, the modernist approach, the idea that everything needed a suburban prescription, was the common perception for planning engineers. Now, we've come full circle and are taking into account the natural history of the land. The car is no longer king. Instead, things are becoming slower and safer to take into account environmental health. We call this awareness for the health of the land "new urbanism."

Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) is really bringing a whole new dimension to the job. Mapping is going digital, where when I first started it was a geography approach, based on sketching and drawing everything by hand. Electronic learning has eliminated the need for drafting or statistical analysis. Computer programs can do it for you. I wondered as I initially observed this trend if there would be something lost. Not learning the basic steps and approaches could develop into a serious lack of understanding. Recently, I've seen so much excellent work coming out of recent graduates that I realize the field is not weakened, only changed.

Definitely, global warming and environmental concern have increased the demand. People realize the need for planning. They see the necessity of creating a sustainable environment. Demand is increased, but at the same time the public is more knowledgeable so our function has changed. We are not autocrats; instead, we are helping achieve public goals.

Planning used to be directly tied to the real estate market. If there was a downturn in home construction, planners were laid off. Now I feel that planners are more diverse and being employed in different ways. They are less susceptible to the whims of the housing market, but still tied to local economic growth. When the local economy struggles, all municipalities will see that affect their budget. There is no escaping that in this industry.

You are not limited to one part of the country, but the pace of different areas changes the work. Larger cities are definitely an advantage to planners. Florida and California are wonderful. It used to be that that was the only place to turn for jobs, now that's not so true. Urban areas and environmentally conscious areas are good places to work. Most recently, it seems graduates have a heightened interest in international work. Globalization has made developing countries an attractive location. International job markets are very competitive. You really need a strong edge to compete against the engineers around the globe,

People skills are really important. Someone can be the most skilled engineer, but if they can't work well socially, they won't advance. The training and fundamentals are vital, but so is personality. Communication is such a huge part of the job. To be able to write and express oneself effectively is an asset in both the public and private sector.

Now that I've spent the time as a supervisor, I can see that being a good employee is sometimes more important than being a good planner. People who deal well with others and can handle conflict are priceless. I used to be a little more aggressive and assertive in trying to get my way, and now I'm learning to take a softer approach. When you learn to work together as part of a team, especially when voters setting the goals, it really builds solidarity.

Writing and oral presentations are key. Working fast is a necessity. You must also have a great analytical mind. Planners need to see problems and work through them to reach effective solutions. Not everyone can think like that. You must be able to focus on your work without losing balance. The life and work dynamic can be trying in a field that asks for so much. You need perspective to avoid becoming burned out.

If you don't like politics, this career will always frustrate you. You need to have social goals. Wanting to improve the community and make neighborhoods better has to be your top priority. The social consciousness is a major part of the job, but if you can't master technical skills you have nothing to pull you through.

I really look at colleges. Having a background in education makes it an even bigger factor. A strong GPA says a lot, but would never be the sole determining factor. I would say interviewers look at the whole package. If you present yourself as pre-professional with project experience and a serious dedication then it will be balanced with your college's reputation. The tone of the cover letter is telling. Good schools produce good writers. Bragging is a turn-off. It is not professional. Not that many bachelor's degrees are available in the program so many come with sociology or environmental backgrounds. This is why internship experience is key.

I love it when someone comes in and says, " I really want to work in this city." If they can express goals for the location or some sense of common action, this makes them stand out. We are always aiming to find individuals who have a vision. Walking into an interview with passion about the community you want to serve will get you the job. Employers will pick up on that.