Need Advice

This is a very hard one to call, long term demographics & infrastructure development would suggest that development activity will have to pick up at some stage, the question is when. Anyone who can predict is presumably a liar, but the main factor is obvious, the economy.

If the economy cannot be stabilised, people will ultimately be on the dole or leaving the country, this will seriously dent development activity going forward and erode property prices enormously over a decade or more. Development activity and planning will come to a complete stop.

Needless to say, I can’t predict, but if the government opts for greater emphasis on tax increases rather than cuts in public spending, the prospects of stabilising the economy will be diminished and we could be heading for the 1980s all over again where tax increases further choke the economy, people leave and cities decline….

Hopefully the economy can be sorted out but I suspect this government won’t be the ones to do it. If it can be, planning should be a good long-term career especially given good prospects for population growth & economic growth if we get competitive and get our house in order.

The MRUP is a good course and well worth doing.

Yeah do it….you’ll be bored shitless after two years though 🙂

Go for it, it may be rough at the moment but if you are passionate about it in two years time you will be willing to put in the time and work and will make a success of it. if you have doubts or are unsure of exactly what is involved in the job it would help to speak to some qualified planners – most local authority planners will have time or make time to chat to you if you ring up their office. You should also check out the IPI website and if you have more qs ring their office

Are they still taking in classes of 50 each year or have they reduced the numbers?

BridK, there is also a 4 year undergraduate degree in spatial planning in DIT- if you are interested in riding out the BIG R for a few years in the education system. If you have a great interest in planning, this course may be more up your alley- 4 years compared to 2 in UCD and a thorough background to planning according to recent graduates, it has and is by all accounts becoming more practical and a may be a better choice for you. Think UCD has the better reputation though. Talk to Qualified planners and goodluck

@AMDM wrote:

BridK, there is also a 4 year undergraduate degree in spatial planning in DIT- if you are interested in riding out the BIG R for a few years in the education system. If you have a great interest in planning, this course may be more up your alley- 4 years compared to 2 in UCD and a thorough background to planning according to recent graduates, it has and is by all accounts becoming more practical and a may be a better choice for you. Think UCD has the better reputation though. Talk to Qualified planners and goodluck

BIG generalisation on the way… and I’m not out for a scrap… BUT…-DIT undergrad is far superior to the MRUP course IMO. It is quite evident from the people I work with and my own experience of both faculties, in academia and in the real world. I won’t argue the toss on a general MB as that is unwarranted as both are fine institutions, but feel free to correspond via the PM facility here..

having done the UCD course a good few years ago, it is very good. However it should be noted that while it provides an education in planning in its widest sense, it does not necessarily provide what you will need to go into the profession itself the day after you qualify (if that makes sense). I don’t know many DIT graduates but it would seem to be more practical while UCD provides a more academic approach. That’s not a criticism at all of UCD but it seems to be the general feeling amongst planners – but i’ve never been knocked out by the depth of knowledge or vision of a DIT planner or their lecturers, but I have by UCD ones…. admittedly i’m biased

I would say the postgrad course would be quite difficult also for those whose backgrounds are not in the likes of Geography, Sociology, Env Sciences, Engineering etc etc although that may not be true. If anyone cares to clarify?

Overall though if it’s the big “R” you want to avoid I’d go with the 4 year course and if the “R” turns into a “D” well then we’re all fucked anyway 😉

@alonso wrote:

having done the UCD course a good few years ago, it is very good. However it should be noted that while it provides an education in planning in its widest sense, it does not necessarily provide what you will need to go into the profession itself the day after you qualify (if that makes sense). I don’t know many DIT graduates but it would seem to be more practical while UCD provides a more academic approach. That’s not a criticism at all of UCD but it seems to be the general feeling amongst planners – but i’ve never been knocked out by the depth of knowledge or vision of a DIT planner or their lecturers, but I have by UCD ones…. admittedly i’m biased

I would say the postgrad course would be quite difficult also for those whose backgrounds are not in the likes of Geography, Sociology, Env Sciences, Engineering etc etc although that may not be true. If anyone cares to clarify?

Overall though if it’s the big “R” you want to avoid I’d go with the 4 year course and if the “R” turns into a “D” well then we’re all fucked anyway 😉

All pertinent points Alonso. Wouldn’t mind 4 years scratching me hole right about now :p

4 years paid study leave? yeh that’d be grand… I’d go to DIT and take notes, literally as well as figuratively

(actually a serious point – is the DIT course fully recognised by the RTPI?)