First of all, remember you are a part of the legacy, lucky to be in one of the top-notch & oldest colleges in India. Welcome to the grinding that will shape you into a better you!
As a Masters student from the Urban Planning Department at SPA, the exposure you will get here, interaction with highly experienced visiting faculty members. They come to teach from various renowned institutions & firms in your first integrated semester, who deliver guest lectures will be like an excellent brainstorming, opening views to different walks of the field; building healthy relations and contacts shall be of enormous help.
While at SPA it’s best not to keep very high hopes w.r.t marks or campus hiring because, in the end, not all top scorers get placed through campus placement as selection happens irrespective. Make sure you have a good CV in place, write research papers, publish them, co-author with your faculty if needed, intern or freelance with reputable organizations while pursuing the course because that’s what counts! You’ll hardly have time for it once you’re bumped into your studio assignments & surveys but nevertheless.
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You’ll have different classmates-some who’ve come after work ex., some who are senior to you, from different backgrounds, so how to be at par with all the cream crowd? It’s then when your digital capabilities come into play, and so is the case at work as well. Be someone who stands out with at least one unique interest/hobby/skill that no one else has & be the ‘go-to’ person for it!
Not many companies come for placements, and even if they do, not many students get placed on campus. So you should be well prepared to send your CVs to firms off campus before you graduate, so you don’t lose out on time later. Don’t worry because as you are in the last semester, your WhatsApp groups would be flooded with job offer messages and never underestimate WHY would your CV get selected among plenty of other applications, etc. because you need to think WHY NOT!?
That’s why you must always have a mail drafted with an updated CV (update every two months at least), to be ready to mail to the firm you wish to apply to. Also, keep checking updates & posts on Facebook Planning groups that exist because so many working people post vacancies from different cities, different positions, profiles so you would be bombarded by the options in the end.
Nevertheless, some big companies do make it to SPA including Deloitte, EY, CBRE, EGIS, JLL but the average package would be about 5–6 L with the highest that I’ve heard about 10 LPA being offered by one of the Big Four; you’re lucky if your package is a double-digit figure 🙂
You’ll never get lucrative packages as the MBA guys do but never be disappointed (that’s a harsh truth though) or compare to others because not everyone gets to visit different cities, explore unexplored places and get a thrilling exposure like planners do! And even if you are hired/know, you’ll get into that one firm you’ve been promised for, always & always have a backup option so that you have the choice and flexibility to choose what’s best for you! Even if you’re in Planning, sometimes, best things unfold when unplanned & least expected. Hope this helps 🙂
Author Bio: Sejal Mathur, A fondness for wordplay and a passion for writing that stemmed from the opportunities that beckoned in college life, is what turned me from being a naïve & shy girl into a confident & expressive individual. Having pursued my Masters in Urban Planning and having worked as a Freelance Content Writer offered me a chance to relish the experience of earning while learning & discover a new me. Currently unfolding a new chapter of work life with Ernst & Young LLP.