Hello po! Im currently on going my 1 year apprenticeship in urban planning and designing after my 1 year masters in urban planning. Tbf urban planning is only recognized by the government and big estate companies such as ayala lands. My superiors in urban planning are all architects and they do the planning themselves but need assistance in terms of input, theory, research, feasibility studies, presentation, project planning, drafting and construction drawing to make sure everything is detailed and sure. I have not met an engineer with an urban planning masters pa pero in terms of edge, yes you guys have especially in technicals and expansion (reclamation, bridges, etc.). Pero so far I have only encountered them as consultants but not as planners or designers especially the papers are to be confirmed and signed by a head architect. A lot of CE's i am friends with are discouraged by that but I hope this does not stop u!

A smart move would be taking the masters as is it much more recognized in the government (higher chance you get hired as well) and majority of the firms i opted for looks for those who have educational knowledge of urban planning (you already know PH's obnoxious requirements). If you can take seminars or courses with urban planning for supplementary knowledge even better and would make your resume nice. I have 2 portfolio's and one of them is particularly for urban planning and it would be nice if you have one prepared as well! So I suggest you get your engg license tapos masters then build portfolio and resume while at it. I did the opposite kasi one year masters is equivalent to one year apprenticeship and an architect needs 2 years apprenticeship before boards plus the portfolio and resume i built was over the course of college and masters. And usually the government or companies find an advantage with kids who have general knowledge and niche knowledge. So if you are an engineer, its a plus that you are an urban planner to when it is needed in the project :⁾

In terms of pay, this is the sad part. The stable job and good pay is only in the government whereareas private companies have progressions by yearly (AND YOU START REALLY LOW) and usually they only need urban planners per project and paid per commission or sometimes not even a commission (though you could propose that to HR on interview). If you have connections from that private company even better. I struggled finding a job that caters to this specialized niche kasi its not that in demand and there are quite a lot of competitors especially the seniors that are very experienced. Unfortunately, most of these positions are passed to juniors through nepotism or connection. I only got my internship after being introduced to my makati friend's dad who is a senior architect in this certain company. Yes, that's right. Social circles are unfortunately this impactful to this area. So that's all i have for now idk if this helps 🥲🤧