~Helen Eloyan
I have had the privilege of working with developers, owners, and other visionaries to help accomplish projects, and ultimately community goals, through my work as a private sector land use planner. Albeit it is a “behind the scenes” role, but it provides a chance to help develop future community landmarks (+ bragging rights for cool projects). Since starting my career, I have been to some of the most beautiful, random, and unique places in our community and California. I have also had the opportunity to serve various industries, like agriculture/farmworker housing, renewable energy, mining, various commercial operations, and future innovative clean technologies.
The path to success, throughout each project, has shown to be meaningful collaboration and effective execution. Meaningful collaboration is early outreach to stakeholders and coordination with appropriate departments on the local, state, and federal levels; community/advocacy groups; and government leaders on behalf of the client to find well-rounded and informed solutions. Effective execution is simply producing high-quality work efficiently– attention to detail and persistence are critical character traits to have or develop. Clients heavily rely on land use consultants for guidance, expertise, and ideas for new projects and communities. I highly recommend taking an environmental policy course to understand the dynamics of government agencies and the California Environmental Quality Act– this is usually the most daunting part of a project for clients.
Another important aspect of my work is that it requires a lot of problem-solving, technical reading, interpreting legislation/zoning codes, and describing engineered plans in a way that a layperson may understand. The best advice given to me has been to write simply (not simple mindedly), only speak on what you know for certain, and no matter how daunting or stressful a situation is, focusing on doing good work will get you through.
Starting Out
I first entered the private sector after graduating with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management. I did not have any relevant experience outside of my capstone and was working full-time as a loss prevention detective. I had applied to at least 90 jobs before I got hired at a local consulting firm. The position was not exactly what I envisioned, but it turned out to be a great steppingstone.
After a year working, I applied for a job that I was very unqualified for, only because I had read a Business Insider article the day before. The article described how women are less likely to apply for a job if they do not meet most, if not all, of the job criteria whereas men just applied even if they are totally unqualified. This specific job posting called for 12 years, and I only had one year. Apparently, the loss prevention experience was interesting enough to snag an interview, and I was found to be a good fit. My recommendation, regardless of where you find yourself, is to always put your best (and most authentic) foot forward, no matter how uncertain you think that step is.
If anyone is interested in working in the private sector or land use planning field, please feel free to reach out or add me on LinkedIn.