SHARMILA MUKHERJEE, Transportation Planner, Detroit, Michigan

Why did you choose this field?
It was part by design and part by coincidence. I started my Masters in economics and eventually switched to Urban and Regional Planning after attending one on-campus seminar on planning. It was somewhat impulsive, I must say!!! After completing the planning core courses while in the program, I realized that the interaction between land use and transportation is what interested me most, so I started taking additional courses in transportation planning. A good number of those happened to be cross-listed with Civil Engineering. While in the program, I did an internship with Chicago Transit Authority and had a chance to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which led me to advance further in the field transportation planning.

What is a day like at your job?
I am a mid-level transportation planner in an office of 20+ employees. A day's work can include anything from transit and roadway corridor planning to GIS mapping and analyses, proposal writing, and attending public meetings.

What advice do you have for students considering your field as a profession?
If you're interested in your physical environment and care about making a difference in the environment you live in, you may consider transportation engineering or planning as your career. You'll be able to combine technical analysis tools with creativity and professional judgment. I'm currently working on Downtown Detroit to Metropolitan Airport Rapid Transit Study, which is evaluating rapid transit alternatives for the corridor. For those of you who are familiar with Detroit, it is truly the Motor City and transit is very limited. Wouldn't you be glad to be working on a first-ever project like this in your own town?