5 Things to Do When You're at a PM Career Crossroads

Elizabeth is a freelance writer and project manager living and working in London. She runs The Otobos Group, a project communications consultancy specializing in project management.

  Career Development  

Have you thought about ditching it all and giving up project management? If you have, you’re not alone.

In a survey I ran this year, 37% of project managers said they’d considered leaving project management. Of the people who said they had considered leaving, 48% of those said their biggest concern was that they didn’t have the right resources to do the work expected of them. Chasing people for status updates was the thing most potential leavers wanted to get off their to-do lists.

The biggest source of stress for those that had seriously considered leaving was not being listened to or not having a seat at the table.

“Right now, it’s boring and frustrating,” wrote one survey respondent. “With repetitive and tedious administrative tasks, [I’m] starting to feel like an admin assistant. Managing up has not been effective or appreciated.”

Can you relate?

The percent of people thinking about leaving project management is exactly the same as the last time I asked (back in 2021), which I found interesting.

Has nothing really changed? Maybe there’s always about a third of people wanting to switch careers?

A few years ago, my job role changed significantly and I seriously started thinking about leaving the profession, too. If you’re in the same situation and wondering what might come next, here are …

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