Finally! You’ve found a field of work that you really excel in, and now you want to pursue it further. A project management career is so vast that you’ll possibly never get bored. It would be best if you were prepared for ever-changing adventures as you face new situations in different fields.
If you feel that you are a born leader who desires an active and diverse lifestyle, then you are on the right path. To help you out in your quest, we have put together this ultimate guide that will help you start your career as a project manager.
What It Means to Be a Project Manager
People who always want to lead a team and have everything organized to meet certain goals are always great project managers. Project management, albeit complex, tends to be one of the most extensive fields out there that you’ll never have a dull moment in your career.
As a project manager, it’ll be your job to oversee and lead entire projects from initiation to planning, control, execution, and completion. Being a leader means being part of a team, so you must be a good team player, and it helps to be sociable.
You’ll be the one in control of the team, and you need to be flexible to have effective team communication and collaboration. You’ll be the person the rest of the team goes to when they run into problems or questions, but then again, that why you love to lead, right?
Beyond this, as the project manager, the success of each project will fall on you, and you must be responsible for any mistakes and handle client complaints.
Get a Project Management Education
Having a project management degree can undoubtedly give you a head start. A business administration degree is just as good, but even without one, you will not be at a disadvantage. The thing is, project management doesn’t belong to one industry, and it’s something you can pick up in your career with a different degree.
It’s advisable to try out project management in real life before pursuing a degree so you can understand how it works and be completely sure that it’s exactly what you want to study. Working first hand on a real project teaches you outcome management and accountability.
Decide Which Certificates to Pursue
If you are wondering whether a project management certificate is actually a necessity, well, it’s not. However, it’s definitely worth it. You may feel the need to get one as you progress in your career, or your employers may need you to have one.
Even though most recruiters may not ask for a certificate, the experience you’ll gain from the training and exams will be indispensable to your career. You have to keep in mind, though, that having a certificate is merely enough to get hired. You’ll need real working experience and knowledge in project management as well.
With several project management certifications out there, choose the one that’s related to the projects you work on most. You can try the Project Management Professional certificate or the Certified Associate in Project Management. You may also try the PRINCE2 Certification, Scrum certifications, or apm training.
Get Hands-On Experience
Having a degree and a certificate does not assure of a promising career in project management. You need to get hands-on experience to prove that you can put to good use all the skills and training you amassed in school. Employers are always thrilled to have employees with real-life experience.
Gaining experience in project management is easy because you can join clubs in college and be the project manager of your group. Avail yourself in fundraisers and rallies, find remote project manager jobs, and organize the events yourself.
Work On Your People Skills
As a project manager, your job will be to deal with all kinds of people. You’ll not only manage your team but talk to clients and company stakeholders all the time. Delegating tasks and coaching the team is something you’ll be doing on a daily basis, which means that you need to be sociable and good in communication. You need to have project management skills, and people skills is a part of it.
Learn What Tools You Need
As a project manager, technical skills are a must-have as you’ll undoubtedly use software and online tools to manage your projects. There are a plethora of tools available for project manager jobs, and you need to learn and understand which one will work best for which projects.
There are tools that will help you communicate effectively with your team, while others will help you assign tasks, among other things. Such tools also help in budgeting for projects and scheduling to keep everything and everyone on track. You’ll be using multiple tools for different projects, and it’ll help to know them inside out.
Understand Possible Project Manager Problems
Despite the adventure, this is not the perfect job. Well, not that there is a perfect job. But you have to be aware that at some point it’ll get difficult and you need to be sure that you are up for it. You’ll work long hours to ensure everyone is doing their job, and the projects are on track.
You need to ensure deadlines are met and take responsibility is they are not. You must stay in communication with your team, regardless of the time of day, and sometimes you may have to sacrifice holidays to ensure everything is seamless. You may need to make last-minute changes or do what clients want without complaints.
When All Is Said and Done!
Being a project manager can be a fulfilling career. As long as you know what you are doing, you’ll find it very adventurous and satisfying. You’ll get to handle many different projects for many clients, which will increase your knowledge and expertise to the point of employing yourself.
Pursue your career as a project manager today and start the life of your dreams. For more information about project management, kindly read our other articles and dig deeper into the topic.
