Transportation PLANNER vs. ENGINEER: What's the Difference?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.พ. 2022
- I explain the difference between transportation planners and transportation engineers. What is their typical responsibilities? What responsibilities can overlap? How are their career paths different?
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🐦Twitter - / byrontangte
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I was recently hired as a public sector transportation planner in the U.S.
My tips for people who are interested in breaking into this field are as follows:
1.) Focus on Transportation - Most planning degree programs in the U.S. are focused on urban/land use planning. While there is some overlap between transportation planning and its sister disciplines, there are major differences. Transportation planning is more analytical, is tied to complex funding mechanisms, and requires a higher degree of cross-collaboration with engineers and regional organizations. When you are in your degree program, seek out cognate areas like GIS, statistics, and modeling if you can. Courses in project management may also help you stand out.
2.) Seek advanced education - Almost all of my colleagues have advanced degrees up to the PhD level, while this is not necessary, having a Masters Degree in Planning or Geography will help you to stand out from other applicants. Many really wonderful and excellent transportation planners do not have a graduate degree, but it is getting harder to break in with only an undergrad background.
3.) Be enthusiastic - Most of us are transportation enthusiasts. Don't be afraid to geek out about your favorite travel modes or models, it will help you to stand out from the pack.
4.) Get your foot in the door - Contact your local transportation planning office and let them know that you would be happy to volunteer or, if it is offered, that you would love to do an internship. This helped me get my foot in the door and has helped lots of other people I know as well.
5.) Consider your future - This is something that I am still doing. There are lots of very valuable certificates out there that can enhance your resume. The biggest is the AICP, but the GISP and PMP are also good ones. Engineers, of course, can get the PE. While you can't get most of these right away, you can let your employer know that you are interested in attaining them and even commit to a timeline. Agencies like go-getters, and it adds public legitimacy when their staff are credentialed.
This is great advice. Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your new position!
Also maybe start your career in a small city/ regional office (I got recently hired in a smaller town here in Germany ans a transport planner). Later with some expertise in your CV you can easier get access to a bigger company or city (if you want to). At least that's my opinion and hope 😅.
Btw. I have a Geography degree.
Thanks for this comment, I felt I made a good choice then, I'm getting my masters in Transportation planning
Thanks for sharing, this is useful
Hello gj939, thank you for sharing your experience and recommendations to those who are interested in this field. I have an interview next month, first week of April '24, for a position as a "Transit Assistant Schedule Planner". The requirements are less than a Transit Planner, I need either experience or a degree in the field. I have enough experience as both a city and regional fixed an mini-bus dispatch scheduler on my resume that they've granted me an interview, but nothing like what you describe in the way of advanced degrees yet. I hope I don't have a reason to be concerned, as I really want to move up in this field and hadn't considered that I'd need to get a Masters or PhD first.
Are you familiar with any Transit Schedule Planners or Transit Assistant Schedule Planners? Do you think the scope of this video and your comment on Transit Planning is perhaps beyond that of a Transit Schedule Planner? I came upon this video in my search for information relevant to this job listing, as well as any advice for someone interviewing for transit. If you have anything additional, it would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to be more specific about the market and job listing so you could view the listing details, but not sure I could find a way to DM off of here but I'd be interested in back and forth if you have time.
My current supervisor is the operations manager, we are a market of about 65k people. Because we are smaller, she performs most of the duties listed in the description in addition to her supervisory role. I've received a lot of help from her in preparation, and where my past work experience doesn't overlap I've taking notes beneath each task in the job description how our operation performs the same duties. She isn't a Transit Planner or Schedule Transit Planer and this market will be about 4x-5x the size; much of what I learn here will not be applicable given the differences in software, city layout/geography, route timing, etc. etc. I'm hopeful to find more information before the interview, and hopeful given the lesser requirements (that a Masters isn't a listed requisite), hopefully my willingness and eagerness to learn will show and that is a good fit and next step into entry/mid level transit work for me, with a masters or PhD being an option in my future.
You should make a video on the job progression for a traffic engineer.
Good idea! I’ll give it some thought. There are a lot of different directions a traffic engineer could go
That was really helpful ! Thank u! 🐾
Very straightforward and informative, thanks for the breakdown
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you very much for this video !
Wow....What a brilliant explanation!!! Very clear, informative, well organized, no stupid jokes to interrupt the flow, yet very nice and interesting. Keep up the good work!!
Thank you so much! I’m happy you liked the video :)
@@ByronTang You are welcome. I'm working my way to become an urban planner (it's my passion of life) and always wondered what's the difference between transportation planning and engineering. There were few sources I could find on the internet, but nothing could compared to the quality of your video. Thanks for that!
The difference? Engineers look at things in two dimensions, three if you're lucky. Planners look at things in three dimensions anyway, four if they're really any good.
Hello, Thank you for making this video. I'm a Mech Engineering student looking to go into the transportation industry. Hearing the explanation on what transport planning/engineers are was very helpful.
I’m happy it helped!
Hey, Message me, I have followed the path you want to take.
Good job with the overview. 🤜
Thank you!
very helpful
thank you very much dear tang
Thank you!
Great tanks.
Wooow thank you very much for this video. It helped me a lot now that I need to choose my university degree!😄
I’m happy to hear that it helped in your decision!
woww this is really useful for me. I definitely incline more to transportation planning, looking at things in a big picture. However, as you mentioned about going from transportation engineer to planner, I am wondering if that applies to the master degree too. I meant if I want to go to grad school in transportation, should I choose transportation planning degree or transportation engineering degree given that I want to end up in transportation planning? I am not sure if you get my question.
I personally think a transportation engineering masters would open more doors and still allow you to go into transportation planning later. But if you really like transportation planning, you will probably find the transportation planning masters more enjoyable. In the US, in order to get the AICP planning certification, having a planning degree really helps. I don’t have this but I’ll post the link for more information: www.planning.org/certification/eligible/
Hi Byron, thanks for such a great video! I work as a transportation planner in a suburban region and this is a great summary of what I've found to be a harder profession to explain to people. I'm wondering though, if you could offer some insight on induced demand and whether or not planning for the widening of roadways is really just an overall waste of time and resources due to this phenomena. It's an issue I've been struggling with in my planning career to date. Thanks so much!
Great question. It's a complex topic. I would say that it is important to understand the overall picture of what is going on in the region before coming to conclusions. There are a lot of questions that come up (or should come up) when roadways are proposed to be widened (or reduced). How will it affect the surrounding transportation network? How will it affect other modes? Will it further divide neighborhoods? Will there be an economic loss if capacity is not increased? Etc. A lot of social media will offer broad brush answers or generalizations but I believe it is better to treat it on a case-by-case basis as these pros and cons will differ for each situation. Being able to clearly communicate the pros and cons to the decision makers is very important for those of us in this profession (at least in the government sector).
@@ByronTangthank you so much for your thorough answer!
Byron, What would be the difference between a Transportation planner who works for the Federal government vs state or private sector? Also same with Engineer. For those looking at job postings and wondering if that specific job, which has a vague description, is actually the right fit for their experience. Thanks for the video it was great!
Good question. A lot of it depends what part of the government they are working in. I have noticed that federal government engineers & planners spend a lot of time assisting state agencies, whether it is with policy interpretation or with federal grants, since they don't actually do local engineering work but manage the programs and money that is distributed to states for work to be done. The states and private sector is more focused on delivering the actual work. I have not worked for the Federal Government and it is big, so I don't want to say that's the only thing they do. If you get an interview with them, asking this kind of question will be extremely important so you know what to expect.
Hi Mr. Tang! I've always really enjoyed your videos and found them very helpful. I am currently a high school senior who was recently admitted into a UC for structural engineering and another UC for civil engineering. I'm currently trying to decide between the two and wanted to ask: would a degree in structural engineering prevent me from working in transportation and/or traffic engineering versus having a degree in civil engineering? I've always been interested in this field and would prefer to not cut off any options.
Thank you so much!
I went to a school that only had a civil degree. It sounds like the structural degree is more specialized and focuses on structural engineering. A degree in structural engineering may make it harder to get a non structural engineering job. If you are not sure about going into structural, I would go for civil engineering degree and if you feel like you want to commit to structural, get a structural masters. I know a few engineers who went to my school who got into good structural firms that way. You will still take structural classes in a typical civil engineering program
Or… if the UC with structural degree has a much better civil program in general, start there and if you find out structural is not your thing, change your major to be a civil engineering major. The lower level classes should be similar with both degrees so most classes you take should count towards a regular civil engineering degree
Hi Mr. Tang, hope you’re well. This is unrelated to today’s video but I was hoping to ask if you have any advice for me as a student who is starting their first traffic engineering internship. I know the company uses simulation modeling softwares such as VISSIM. Should I be honing my skills in the program mentioned above or should I wait to see the specific tasks that I will be assigned and then work from there? Also, how does one make a traffic engineering internship as fruitful of an experience as it can be? Thank you for your time, Mr. Tang.
Hi Marc! I would wait a little to see what tasks you are given. But definitely try to learn VISSIM well if you will be assigned work using it. It’s also a software that is commonly used in transportation so if you think you will be in this field or have great interest in it, it would still be worth to learn the basics. Ask questions and I do suggest to try to get some VISSIM work if you don’t initially so you can use the skills you learn. As for getting the most out of your experience, ask a lot of questions and learn from the experienced people there. If you are assigned to work on other software, learn that software well. Try to get a good understanding of how the company operates, like their design standards they use and the processes they follow to deliver work to their clients. Try to get field experience. It may seem like a lot, but if you put some good effort you will learn a lot and they may even want to hire you in the future. Good luck!!!
@@ByronTang Hi Mr. Tang, thank you for your detailed response and thoughtful wishes. Best of luck in your future endeavors.
Which occupation would research & develop public transport routes? E.G. See the viability and potential, and develops an efficient route based on the needs & budget?
I am looking at Urban Planning BA then Masters but Civil Engineering BA can then go onto a Transportation Engineering Masters.
Hi Joshua, that sounds like a transportation planning job that specializes in transit. It is also possible that some transit engineers get some exposure to the planning side, but this is mainly a planning function.
Hi Joshua, im a public transit planner at a private firm. I have a masters in both planning and civil and both focused on Transportation. There arent many urban planning bachelor programs, most are at the masters level. The difference between the civil bs and ms is that the bs looks at engineering fundamentals and looks at all of engineering, where the masters helps you specialize, in this case in transportation. There are programs that allow you to take both planning and civil concurrently. Transit is a niche specialty in transportation, so either degree will get you there. When you ask about the research and development of publci transit routes, I suggest you look into transit agencies that publish their Comprehensive Operations Analysis (COA) (Look up Tampa HART as an example). These show you the route realignment for fixed route buses. Nowadays slot of agencies are doing Mobility on Demand studies (MOD), these are to adress low passenger fixed routes in large residential areas, where it may be hard to throw in a single bus route, but ineffecient to throw more than one. The applications of these studies include techniques learned both in planning and in engineering particularly the four step demand modeling process, origin destination pairs for transit users, evaluating transit oriented indexes, and density threshold assessments, that help to indicate areas where the population and housing densities may support transit routes.
Good discussion. But you left out an important aspect. Civil Engineering is a licensed profession preventing unlicensed individuals from practicing it. Planning isn't licensed. Civil Engineers can do transportation planning but not the other way around. Further, when a senior transportation engineer tackles high level / early stage planning, they bring a wealth of technical experience that can prevent problems down the road. Unlicensed planners are much more likely to plan for the impossible and cost a government agency a project that could have been avoided.
Good point! I would add that getting licensed can also take a while with more requirements to meet, which is one reason why it seems more common for engineers->planning than the other way around.
Found this video helpful
What's the Title and the author of the transport textbook you used for the makeup of this video?
Glad to hear that! The book is Transportation Planning Handbook 4th Edition by ITE, published by Wiley
Thanks for sharing the video related to traffic engineering, I'm really keen to learn traffic engineering, how can I contact you?
Hi! Do you have LinkedIn or Twitter? You can private message me through those platforms (Twitter: @ByronTangTE)
What is the book you showed in your video
Transportation Planning Handbook from ITE, 4th Edition
Could please make a video about the difference between Environmental engineers and environmental scientists? Thanks in advance 🥇💙
I saw some videos before but they focused in the college and the different courses ! But I want to know about the career path for both of them and which is the best for me ? I get really confused when I search for jobs for civil engineer who want to do an environmental work!?
Hi Moh Jaber! I usually stick to transportation which is what I am most familiar with. Sorry, I don’t know the answer to this one.
I like both the planning and the design but I'm terrible at math so I guess I'm going more in the planning direction.
Don't rule out Engineering because you think "you're bad at math" Yes, the course load can seem daunting but other than Calculus and maybe a matrix or two most of the classes are relatively straight forward algebra and geometry and plugging the numbers in the proper equation. Now working in the Site/Civil Industry for 9 years I can say most of the math is pretty basic. All the "complex equations" we know and it's really up to us to determine which equation is the right one to use.
But actually, drawing Site Plans and Utility plans and Grading Plans takes little more than the equation of a line y=mx+b
Don't sell yourself short! Believe me I struggled through school but here I am.
Helo Mr Tang i am starting my masters in Transport planning and engineering from next september i am very confused in choosing laptop please suggest me which is the best operating system since i use Apple as a daily driver can i buy a macbook for my studies will it support the softwares ? Can u please make a video on it or please guide me by replying . Thank you
Hi Rohan Gowda! For engineering software, it is best to stick with a Windows operating system. You will not be able to get most of them to run natively on a Mac. I have the same problem because I use a Apple laptop as my daily driver but all my work on the job is done on a Windows PC (provided by my employer).
Thanks allot for your advice Mr Tang. I will definitely consider this. Hope to see more of your videos in future as i am also student planning to make carrier in the same stream
Hello Rohan!
Can you please tell me the actual degree name & university name where you are persuing Masters in Transportation planning & engineering.
I’m also planing for masters in transportation so it will help me to sort out my destination.
Thanks in advance.
What is the name of the text book you were flipping through showing travel demand modeling ?
Hi! That was from the Transportation Planning Handbook, 4th edition, by ITE
@@ByronTang Thanks alot for the reply. I plan to buy this text as I am preparing to do my PTP exam. What are your thoughts on the PTP? Is it a respected certification in Canada? Also, would you happen to know any good books on Public Transit Planning? I heard Human Transit is a great textbook on the subject. Would love to know your suggestions.
I know a couple of professionals who have a PTP certification, but a lot of planners I have worked with don't have it. I don't think it is an absolute need but it can make your resume stand out a bit more. There is also an AICP certification but that is planning in general and not transportation-focused. In regards to textbooks, Public transit planning is not my specialty, but I have also heard of "The Geography of Urban Transportation" as a common reference textbook. You should be on the right track with "Human Transit".
@@ByronTang Sir please send link of this book, thanks in advance 🥰
@@INAMmathematicivilengineering ecommerce.ite.org/IMIS/ItemDetail?iProductCode=LP-695
Where can I get a master scholarship for transportation engineering?
Auckland University in NZ. It's about 34,000 NZD for international students. Perfect environment to learn as its rapidly growing & the public transport sector is in high demand across the nation as well as Australia.
Currently I am doing BACHELOR OF URBAN & REGIONAL PLANNING.
Can i do Master’s in Transportation Engineering & become a TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER?
Good question. Personally I have seen people do this more the other way around (bachelors in CE and masters in planning), but that being said, it should still be possible. One thing to look into is as an engineer, you want to be professionally licensed at some point. That will involve needing to know a broad range of civil engineering concepts and proving that in an exam. A masters may not cover all that you need to know, so you will need to learn it studying on your own. Try to find out what you need to know in your region to become a licensed civil engineer and make sure that you can still be eligible with just a masters. The requirements can be different depending on the region you live.
Thanks a lot😃
Hi Absar~ I have a Bachelor in Urban Planning, and a master in Urban planning as well. and last year I got my master in Civil Eng - Transportation Eng path. I agree to Mr. Tang (FYI,my last name is Tang too haha), it is not common but it's possible haha. I did need to take some extra entry level transportation courses during my master years. and if you are interested in getting FE and PE licenses, remember to check with your state board to make sure that you will be able to get the license without a bachelor in engineering.