On Wednesday, 24 June 2020, a fifth Smart Break – titled ‘On The Future’ – has been dedicated to investigating the career prospects of soon-alumni Planning Complex Cities graduation students. The session took the form of six brief interviews with students who have graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft, over recent years. Interviewees – all of whom are developing their career in the Netherlands, most of whom were international students, and many of whom have acquired a MSc Urbanism degree @ Planning Complex Cities – have taken a variety of career path: they became PhD researchers, independent researchers, entrepreneurs, or employees at different kinds of firms. During interviews, guests reflected upon the opportunities that they have seized while developing their careers, as well as the barriers that they have met. Interviewees also pointed at support from individuals and organisations that they have enjoyed or have missed.
One overall result of the session – which is documented in for students accessible audio and video recordings – is practical advice. The advice will be summarized and complemented to form a practical guide. A second overall result is in an impression of the Dutch working environment. All alumni students agreed that the Netherlands offers a stimulating surroundings; one that provides – due to its traditional international orientation – multiple opportunities for international students, even under the conditions that the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic imposes.
We – all involved in the current Planning Complex Cities studio – want to thank our guests very much for their willingness to support a new generation of graduates and for their very reflective attitude! Particular thanks go to Alankrita Sarkar and Nilofer Tajuddin who have helped to organize the session.
Guests
- Céline Janssen, PhD researcher at the Department Management for the Built Environment, TU Delft
- Yue Mao, independent researcher
- Yi Yu, Urban Designer at MLA+
- Alankrita Sarkar, employee at Deltametropolis Association | independent Dutch network for metropolitan development
- Nilofer Tajuddin, Urban Designer at ooze architects
- Rushabh Chheda, Founder & CEO at Conscious Designs
Planning Complex Cities TU Delft 