6 Steps To Change Industries Mid-Career Using PM Skills

Christopher Urbanek, PMP, is Director of the Enterprise PMO at First Student Inc. and President of the PMI Southwest Ohio Chapter. With more than 25 years of project leadership experience, he is passionate about helping professionals navigate career transitions and align project work to strategic outcomes.

  Career Development  

After 20 years in retail store planning and design, I found myself at a career crossroads. Like many seasoned professionals, I had built deep expertise—but in a sector undergoing disruption.

When the moment came to pivot, I didn’t panic. I leveraged what I knew best: project management. Today, I serve as Director of the Enterprise PMO at a $3 billion transportation company and lead the PMI Southwest Ohio Chapter as Chapter President.

My journey wasn’t linear, but it was deliberate. This article outlines a step-by-step process that helped me transition industries mid-career, and how PMI played a pivotal role in making that possible.

Step 1: Reframe Your Value, Not Your Identity
Your industry may change, but your core competencies likely won’t. I began by mapping my transferable skills: cross-functional leadership, portfolio and budget management, process optimization, and change management in complex environments.

I stopped viewing myself as “a retail store planning and design project manager” and began branding myself as “a strategic delivery leader skilled in transformation.”

Step 2: Invest in Credibility
Certifications send a signal to hiring managers outside your industry. My decision to earn the PMP credential was pivotal. It not only validated my knowledge—it aligned me with a global standard. PMI&rsquo…

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