Have you been exploring project management for your next career? There are many good reasons to pursue this career path, including the fact that an average of 1.2 million project management positions will need to be filled each year through 2016, according to a study published by the Anderson Economic Group. While categories like financial services and the automotive industry have scaled back, other industries are expanding that require project managers, including healthcare and green technologies. This is an excellent time to capitalize on job opportunities within the project management field. Project management can offer an exciting challenge … and an excellent income! Any company that needs to execute projects on time and within budget will need a project manager. In these economic times, capitalising on increased productivity with minimum resources has become more and more important. Whether you want to work in aerospace and defense, information technology, systems manufacturing, education, environmental management or financial services, the opportunities for advancement as a project manager are limitless. Some common types of project managers include construction project managers, architectural project managers, and software project managers.
What does it take to be a project manager?
Though the responsibilities of a project manager will vary from company to company, in general it is the project manager’s job to plan, coordinate, execute and finalise projects. And this needs to be done per the specifications, deadlines and budget requirements. The project manager is basically serving as the go between for the company and production, who will execute on the project. At the onset of a project, the project manager is determining what the project’s objectives are. Schedules are then created and teams are assembled. A project manager must assemble an effective team that has the technical know-how as well as the ability to successfully work with one another. Quite often teams are assembled utilizing third party contractors who can fulfill various requirements of the job. The project manager must ensure that each member of the team clearly understands his/her role. Once the project is executed, the project manager is overseeing the project until completion. This entails diligent follow up and communication with multiple parties as well coordination of tasks. During project closure, the project manager is coordinating with everyone involved with to finalise the project. There are many considerations to every project. It is the project manager’s responsibility to minimise risk for any given project to ensure that the budget will be adhered to and the deadlines will be realised. The project manager assumes a great deal of responsibility as well as authority. In the end, the project manager wants to ensure that their company is satisfied with the end result. The ability to effectively communicate, multitask and stay organised are just some of the skills required to succeed in a project manager career. Salary levels will vary by industry, experience level and education.
How can I get started?
You can complete your Bachelor’s degree in project management or get professional certification. You will want to ensure you emerge with excellent skills in capital management, communication, relationship building, leadership, team management, computer/technical skills and conflict resolution, to name a few, in order to excel in a project manager career. There are many blogs available online which offer plentiful information on what this career entails and what options there are for pursuing training. There are also many webinars available that offer project management tips and tools. There are also a variety of professional organizations dedicated to project management. These organizations can offer opportunities to network with other project managers and to attend industry events.
Parallel Project Training offers training courses which are highly practical and informative. As an accredited APM training provider and PMI registered education provider, you can be confident in the quality of training you will receive. Read this post to learn more about why you might want a project management career or how you can £10k more as an APMP trained project manager
