World Planning Day: Q&A with Rachel O'Callaghan, Assistant Planner

8 Nov 2024

• On World Town Planning Day, UCC Arts and MPlan graduate Rachel O'Callaghan shares her journey to becoming a Planner with Cork County Council.
• Rachel shares how her diverse undergraduate studies laid the groundwork for her current role and provides advice for students and aspiring planners. 

To celebrate World Town Planning Day, Rachel O’Callaghan, Assistant Planner with Cork County Council, shares her journey into the world of planning.

Rachel's path began through her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Economics and Geography (CK101), which sparked an interest in how communities are shaped and developed, leading her to pursue a Masters in Planning and Sustainable Development (MPlan) at UCC.

In this Q&A, Rachel reflects on how her early passion for Geography and UCC’s Bachelor of Arts degree opened up unexpected career options, ultimately guiding her to find her career in urban and community development.

Rachel shares her insights, advice, and reflections on her journey from a student uncertain of her future path to a professional shaping the future of Cork’s communities.

How did your undergraduate studies in Economics and Geography shape your decision to pursue Planning?

I’ve always had a keen interest in Geography, it is a subject that I really enjoyed during my school years. I was not familiar with the job prospects associated with studying Geography, I always assumed if you study Geography, you’re going to end up teaching and I knew that profession was not for me. When I was at the stage of choosing my 4 subjects for the first year of my BA, I had languages at the forefront of my mind as it was an area that I felt like I was ok at in school, and so, I went down the route of selecting German and Spanish along with Geography and Economics.

However, at the beginning, I was considering choosing 4 languages and I changed my mind last minute. I decided to choose a subject that I genuinely really enjoy, and I knew I then had more options as I would be cutting two subjects at the end of the year 1.

I am thrilled that I went with my gut and chose a varied selection of subjects. The BA is an excellent course, particularly for those who are unsure of what career path they wish to take. This course kept my options open, and I am extremely grateful for that. I cannot help but think what if I did stick with the 4 languages, where would I be now? As I just know (now!), that was not the correct career path for me.

When did start exploring the idea of working in planning?

I was fortunate enough to gain work experience in the Planning Department of Cork County Council during the summer months of 2019 through to 2022. Here, I was exposed to the planning profession. In my final year of the BA, I signed up for a planning module as part of my Geography studies. My work experience, coupled with this planning module made me realize that this was the route I wanted to go down.

What skills or perspectives from your undergraduate studies have been most valuable in your current role?

The BA Degree provides a wide range of modules for each subject choice. Each of these modules carries with it different requirements. It is known that the course itself generally has large numbers of students which can seem daunting at first; however, the majority of these modules involved group work and tutorials. We were also given the opportunity to travel abroad in our final year of the BA and I was fortunate enough to travel to Malmo which provided for a great experience. This not only enhanced my teamwork and communication skills, but also enabled me to make friends along the way. These skills are hugely important in my job today as we deal with local representatives, members of the public and our colleagues on the daily.

This three-year course gives you the opportunity to get a flavor of a variety of topics and provides a good framework to enable you to pursue your career choices. 

Do you feel that your ability to analyze complex societal and cultural issues gave you an advantage when transitioning into the planning field?

The variety of modules on offer across both subjects of Geography and Economics assisted greatly in the development of analytical skills, which is part and parcel of what I do each day working as a planner for Cork County Council. We were exposed to both the physical and human side of geography which brought with it a wide range of sub-topics. I majored in Geography, however my time spent studying Economics which has a broad scope, and which primarily studies the behaviors and performance of our economy, is intrinsically linked with the planning profession.

The planning discipline accounts for many external factors which underpin how we plan our cities, towns, and villages. Planning and economics work in tandem with each other and each have knock-on impacts. The zoning, and development of our lands depends heavily on the economic state of the nation, and vice versa. My studies have helped formulate an understanding of how such disciplines impact one another.

What advice do you have for Arts and Humanities students who are considering a career in urban planning or community development?

I would certainly urge anyone considering a career in this profession to gain work experience if possible. This will not only expose you to the workplace environment, but it provides you with an opportunity to chat to professionals working within the discipline in addition to giving you a taste for the career type.

Where travelling abroad is on offer, I would encourage you to take part as it exposes you to different ways of living and provides you with an overview of traffic and mobility methods, layout of cities and so on. I would also encourage you to chat to past students who have taken part in the MPlan which is run by the Centre of Planning Education and Research in UCC. Honing in on the human geography modules in addition to the GIS and Remote Sensing is very beneficial for a career in planning!

Learn more about UCC's Bachelor of Arts degree and UCC's Masters in Planning and Sustainable Development (MPlan).