A Guide for the Idealist: Launching and Navigating Your Planning Career [Paperback]

1. Introduction: A Guide for the Idealist PART I. Launching 2. Am I Good Enough? 3. Making Choices 4. What is My Work? 5. What Work Setting? 6. Career Plans Are Useless PART II. Succeeding 7. Principled Adaptability 8. Being Right 9. Avoiding Wrong 10. Navigating Supervisors, Organizations, and Teams 11. Working with Mentors 12. Conclusion: Your Idealist Story APPENDIX A. Generational Differences B. Methods of Reflection

A Guide for the Idealist is a must for young professionals seeking to put their idealism to work. Speaking to urban and regional planners and those in related fields, the book provides tools for the reader to make good choices, practice effectively, and find meaning in planning work.

This guidebook for novices in a field that tugs between idealism and practicality succeeds by revealing lessons Willson learned from an exemplary career as a reflective educator and practitioner. There is much to learn from him because he writes thoughtfully of the paths he followed, the insights he gained, and the values these instilled in him.