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Architectural and Related Services Educational Programs. Exhibit 18 provides an overview of
educational program trends in Architecture and Related Services. As depicted, Architecture and
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture programs have
experienced substantial growth (>20%) between 2002 and 2007. This indicates that these programs
will likely continue to produce graduates that can be recruited into SOM fields over the next decade.
Exhibit 18
Architectural and Related Services Educational Program Trends
20022007
CIP 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Education Program Description
Code Grads Grads Grads Grads Grads Grads
04.02 Architecture 140,393 149,045 167,381 170,106 176,617 184,934
04.03 City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning 34,487 43,152 49,853 55,157 59,306 60,911
04.04 Environmental Design/Architecture 15,773 17,043 14,106 15,431 17,241 15,850
04.06 Landscape Architecture 26,675 27,274 28,865 30,917 32,920 31,965
04.09 Architectural Technology/Technician (New) 0 115 101 144 294 539
3.6 ESTABLISHING SOM CAREER PATHS
Results of our data collections indicate that there is uncertainty in the transportation industry
about how individuals should advance in a SOM career. This can inhibit DOT staff from cross-
training to enter the field and deter potential new, skilled employees from entering SOM jobs.
We discovered that the biggest challenge or impediment to pursuing a career in SOM is that
there are few clear or standard career paths for personnel. It is difficult for potential and existing
staff to navigate the array of job titles within and across DOTs. Yet, because SOM personnel
often have knowledge of multiple disciplines and an understanding of how SOM interacts with
transportation modes, the public, and other transportation functions (e.g., emergency
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management, public safety), their skills are highly transferable across core functions so
advancement within and across core functions is certainly attainable.
To assist DOTs in creating standard SOM career paths for their agencies, we developed several
generalized SOM career paths by analyzing the literature review findings, interview data, our
compiled list of SOM job titles, and the staffing estimate data. Because of the lack of
standardization across DOTs in terms of SOM department structures, we defined generalized
SOM career paths that outline how individuals might progress through their SOM career in
general. However, when implemented, each career path should and likely will be tailored to the
individual needs of the host agency by internal staff.
Generalized SOM Career Paths
Exhibit 19, adapted from materials from NCHRP Project 20-77, provides a generalized summary
of how individuals might advance in SOM careers within and across each of the five core
functions of SOM. The horizontal arrows (i.e., Policy and Strategic Considerations Career Path,
Program Planning Career Path, etc.) represent typical career growth for employees as they
advance to higher organizational levels within one of the five core functions. In addition, since
SOM personnel often advance across core functions, the double arrows indicate career
movement between core functions. For example, employees working within the Real-Time
Operations core function may advance their career by moving within Real-Time Operations or
by moving up into the Project Management, Systems Development, or Program Planning
components of SOM. Movement across core functions is more common when additional
training is provided.
The grey shaded cells indicate that the core function typically does not have personnel working
at the indicated organization level. As a result, the exhibit suggests that SOM applicants with
minimal prior working experience, interested in beginning their career at the entry-level, are
most likely going to start as a Transportation Management Center Technician or Field
Technician within Real-Time Operations, and work their way up. On the other hand, applicants
with graduate degrees, or who are more tenured employees with knowledge of the industry and
experience in SOM are most likely to start at the mid- or project-related level.
The exhibits that follow Exhibit 19 provide generalized career paths within each of the five core
functional areas and indicate specific job titles that may be associated with each core function.
(See Exhibits 20 through 24.) The career paths for each SOM core function are represented
separately because the positions included within SOM are diverse and the typical career paths
vary for each position, even within the specific core function. Thus, the exhibits provide a visual
representation of the general movement between jobs for SOM personnel. Please note that
although many of the SOM positions included in these exhibits require more than one (or all) of
the core functions, we display them based on each position's primary core function.
Additionally, it is important to be aware that these career paths only represent the generalized
path we identified based on our analysis of data collected in Tasks 1 through 3. Thus, the career
paths do not reflect all the possible ways for an employee to advance. Furthermore, since
agencies range in size (i.e., number of employees) and have different demands, the path provided
may not be consistent across all DOTs.
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Exhibit 19
Career Paths by Core Function and Organizational Levels
Organizational Levels
Transportation Management
Senior Management Mid-Level or Project Related (HQ or Regional) Center Technician/Field Personnel
Core Functions Program
Planning and
Central Office Regional Project Technical Operations
Headquarters Management Managers Specialists Managers TMC (Inside) Field (Outside)
Policy and Policy and Strategy Career Path
Strategic
Considerations
Program Program Planning Career Path
Planning
Systems
Systems Development Career Path
Development
Project
PM Career Path PM Career Path
Management
Real-Time
Operations Real-Time Operations Career Path
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Exhibit 20 represents the various common career paths for an SOM employee within the Policy and Strategic Considerations core
function. The positions presented in this exhibit start at the mid-career level, suggesting that most employees probably have degrees
or job experience when they enter the core function. Nevertheless, the arrows displayed in the exhibit indicate that there are numerous
options for an employee to reach the higher senior management levels within Policy and Strategic Considerations.
Exhibit 20
Policy and Strategic Considerations Core Function: Career Paths
Senior Management Mid-Level or Project Related
Section Head
TMC/Field
Director of Operations
Systems ITS Branch
Management Manager Traffic
Operator
Center
Highway
Safety Deputy
Director Technical
Director
Support
Chief Assistant Engineer
Transportation Chief Director of
Engineer Transportation Assistant State Bridge
Operations
Director of Maintenance
Operations Engineer
Transportation State Traffic
Director Senior Engineer
Transportation
Engineer State Engineer
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Exhibit 21 presents the generalized career paths for an SOM employee within the Program Planning core function. The positions
presented in this exhibit start at the level of Technician and Field Personnel and end with positions in senior management. This
suggests that an advanced degree is not required to start, but that training and years of experience can lead into a specialist position at
the mid-career level, and Chief Planner at the senior level. On the other hand, employees with an engineering degree are likely to
enter as a Technical Engineer or State Engineer, and can advance to Division Chief of Operations and Management or Assistant
Engineer at the senior level.
Exhibit 21
Program Planning Core Function: Career Paths
Transportation Management
Senior Management Mid-Level or Project Related Center Technician/Field Personnel
Traffic Data
Analyst
Transportation
Chief Planner Specialist
Transportation
Data Analyst
Division Chief
of Operations Transportation
and Technical
Management Engineer
Transportation
Planning
Assistant
Assistant State Engineer
District
Engineer
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Exhibit 22 represents the generalized career paths for an SOM employee within the Systems Development core function. Employees
beginning their career at the entry level in Systems Development typically start as an Electrical Mechanic, Traffic Systems Technician
1, or Engineering Technician 1. While the Engineering Technician has a clearly defined career path to the senior level, the career path
shown for the Electrical Mechanic and Traffic Systems Technician ends at the mid-level. As a result, once an employee reaches
Implementation Support or IT Section Leader he/she probably needs to retrain to one of the other core functions to advance their
career within SOM.
Exhibit 22
Systems Development Core Function: Career Paths
Senior Transportation Management
Management Mid-Level or Project Related Center Technician/Field Personnel
Electronics Electrical
Supervisor Mechanic
Implementation
Support Traffic Traffic
Technician Systems Systems
Technician Technician I
Civil ITS Section
Engineer Leader
Project
Development
Director of Engineer
Traffic and Engineering Engineering Engineering Engineering Engineering
Safety Technician Technician Technician Technician Technician
Safety V IV III II I
Specialist
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Exhibit 23 represents a general career path for an SOM employee within the Project Management core function. The positions
presented in this exhibit start at the mid-career level, suggesting that employment in Project Management, SOM, requires an advanced
degree, or certificate. Employees beginning their career in Project Management typically start as a Traffic Operations Engineer or
Transportation Engineer. Employees with a certificate in Project Management, in addition to the advanced degree, may be eligible to
start as an ITS Project Manager.
Exhibit 23
Project Management Core Function: Career Paths
Senior Management Mid-Level or Project Related
ITS Project
Manager
Senior
Transportation Operations Traffic
Project Manager Manager Operations
Engineer
Transportation
Transportation
Engineer
Engineer
Supervisor/Manager
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Exhibit 24 represents the common positions included in, and the typical career paths for an SOM employee within, the Real-Time
Operations core function. The majority of the positions presented in this exhibit are at the entry level (i.e., Technical and Field). This
suggests that employees entering this core function in the Technical or Field positions generally do not need an advanced degree, and
may not need a Bachelor's. Nevertheless, the arrows displayed in the exhibit indicate that there are numerous options for an employee
to reach the mid-level or project related positions, and continue their career advancement to the senior level.
Exhibit 24
Real-Time Operations Core Function: Career Paths
Senior Management Mid-Level or Project Related Transportation Management Center Technician/Field Personnel
Communications
Operator Communications
Communications Operator Trainee
Officer Communications
Systems
Transportation
Assistant District Technician
Engineer I
Traffic Engineer
Assistant
Engineer
Junior Engineer
Signal & Lighting
Senior Traffic Technician
State Traffic Signals Technician
Engineer Traffic Systems
Traffic Operations
Engineer Technician
Traffic Operator Incident Response
Center Manager Coordinator
Traffic Incident
Manager Traffic Operator
Assistant District Traffic Incident
Maintenance Technician
Engineer
Maintenance Highway
Supervisor Maintenance
State Maintenance Worker
Transportation
Engineer Work Zone
Maintenance
Manager
Technician
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