In what segment of the public transportation industry will you make a career and why?

In this essay I am going to concentrate mostly on the incentives that stimulate me to enter the public transportation industry.

I did my undergraduate in civil engineering in Sharif University of Technology, the best in Iran. Among the variety of civil engineering fields, I found transportation a compilation of mathematics, management and engineering. By choosing transportation planning as my graduate field of study, I became more enthusiastic about this major. Simultaneously, I started working in a consultant company to be more familiar with my future career.

I really suffer from the valuable time and non-recyclable energy which is being lost in urban street’s traffic mostly by autos. As a transportation expert I believe there would definitely be sustainable strategic clues to bring more suitability and convenience to urban transport, further more physical accessibility for a wide range of people in cities. One of the reasons I wanted to study further in transportation planning was to become a good transport expert, to be a perfect advisor of transportation planning. After four years of job experiences and one year of being a Ph.D. student, I believe the only way to overcome the urban transport difficulties and reduce traffic congestion is to increase the demand for public transportation and attract more users. It won’t be reached except with an efficient public transportation management which can make it different from what it is, since it should be competitive with any travel modes in the city. That’s why I have started my Doctorate program in transportation planning at Morgan State University to work hard in hope that the quantity of the effort I put in will result in high quality knowledge to become a useful member of public transportation society.

I have been taught by very good lecturers during my master and Ph.D. programs. After the course “Urban Public Transportation Systems” I took with Professor Lee, I decided that there is nothing more interesting than public transport to increase the quality of service in urban transportation. I already studied “Urban Transit, Systems and Technology” and “Urban Transit, Operations, Planning, and Economics” the two valuable books by Professor V. R. Vuchic in this field.

Unlike some decades ago, unfortunately US becomes now a country of private transports. Considering environmental effects, I believe we can make basic improvement to alter the travel patterns of private car users by making some fundamental changes in public transportation and increase the transit mode share. Thus I am really interested in having a job in transit marketing or transportation business administration and management area of the transit industry.

Growing and development is my passion and I know my desire will come true. Therefore, I realized as I had not before that I wish to enter public transportation sector. I am ready for a new leap in my transportation career. The fact is that the best possible professional workplace is necessary for this enhancement. All this give me the motivation to apply for a job in public transportation sector as well as encourage me to apply for APTF Scholarship.

Anam Ardeshiri, [email protected] June 8, 2011