TAKE YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL BY MAXWELL OWOLADE

Project Management is a complex field of management and an endeavor to master its complexity will result in a rewarding career for project managers. Unlike other managers in business establishments, project managers’ concerns extend beyond just one aspect of operation. Furthermore, their operation is not limited to dealing with only personnel-related or financial issues, as the case is with financial, business and department managers.

Rather, project managers have diverse responsibilities of overseeing all aspects of a project, to ensure that it is done well according to the goal of the project scope and done within time scheduled and allocated budget.

Consequently, in order to succeed in the profession, particularly in this present age of highly competitive business environment, project managers must be versatile in a number of business skills and earning certifications that make them qualify for a demanding professional career in project management.

A formal training in project management is particularly useful in improving communication between project stakeholders, and also help to develop a better awareness of the requirements for the leadership qualities of a project manager. A formal training course for members of a project team will enable everyone to understand the subject matter of discussion and all will be working in consistent, knowledge-based harmony.

Learning by trial and error can be disastrous

Project Managers should not depend on learning by trial and error. Not only is this a difficult way of learning, it is indeed very costly in terms of wasted efforts, increased cost of production, poor reputation with stakeholders and customers, stress and delivering sub-standard quality products. A formal training course will fast track the learning of relevant methods and techniques that will ensure project success, while avoiding the hidden cost of trial and error associated with learning on the job.

Diversity of application of Project Management

The benefit of completing a project management course program is that the certificate and knowledge is applicable in many fields of human endeavor today. There are many projects being undertaken in diverse industries like construction, health care, pharmaceuticals, transportation/logistics, energy, finance and IT. Skillful and knowledgeable Project managers are needed in these industries in order to achieve success and continue to retain the cutting-edge reputation they have attained over the years.

A formal training and certification will set you apart from competition. Project managers are important all over the globe. There is a study conducted by German EBS University of Business and Law where 80% of responding organizations attest to the great importance of project managers to their establishments. The fact that the respondents represent a diverse number of industries further reveals the diversity of the career prospects of a project manager.

Opinions on project management (PM) career

The following are some opinions on project management career from a conducted survey. These are feedbacks from the project management community based on survey responses received to the question on how project management credentials help the respondents to boost their career.

• “A less-experienced, newly graduated individual or someone moving into the project management field as a career change, will find certification to be a door opener.”
• “The PM certification at the beginning helped me to progress within my company. Some companies are already looking for project managers with PM certification and obtaining the certification makes the PM career progression easier. I always highlight the PM certification to distinguish myself from other project managers that don’t have this certification.”

• “The PM certification was helpful to increase salary. It opens the door for discussion with particular employees because it explicitly shows that the person has project management knowledge as well as a positive attitude towards knowledge acquisition: e.g. reading, learning, sharing, and etc. The PM certification is must in addition to project management experience in order to start professional career of project manager.”

We have heard varying opinions on direction of the field, that delays and even discourages a few from putting their feet in the door to be part of the game changer. There is always a cycle, academic institutions churn out graduates every year, they increase work place competition and make your skills obsolete if you did not carve a niche for yourself.

Remember the old adage, “make hay while the sun still shines”; Project Managers Academy™ encourages you not to become complacent because “no condition is permanent”; continue to develop yourself academically each day so you can be in demand not because of your years of experiences, but the skills and knowledge you bring to the table.