Advice For New Project Managers

 

I was recently interviewed by Cesar from pmforthemasses.com about getting started in project management.  I hope you find my responses helpful!

Can you tell us how you got started in Project Management?

In early 2004 I had been laid off from my role as an Operations Manager.  My wife was pregnant with our first child too, and for the first time I decided to really get strategic about my career. I asked myself "what parts of my previous roles have I really enjoyed doing?" The list was fairly long, but here is an example of the items on it:

• figuring out what the business needed
• working on something brand new
• leading people

During my research into going back to school and what companies were hiring for, I found out about something called project management. It was a discipline, with organizations and standards, etc. As I was learning more about it, I was like "Hey, I do that!" quite a bit.  I was shocked and overjoyed!

I had found my calling. I knew this is what I was meant to focus my career on. There were parts I loved and hated about my previous work....nearly all of what I loved was actually this crazy thing called project management that I had been doing all along, but never knew existed as a distinct discipline.

From that point, I looked for organizations who knew about and valued formal project management as a discipline.  I landed a job working on projects in a department where I could easily learn and grow.  Although it was a hefty pay cut from what I was used to, it was worth it.  Shortly afterward, I started going to night school for a degree in Project Management.  

What advice can you give to those planning to start a career in Project Management?

That is a huge question, and I've written hundreds of articles and developed many hours of online training about it.  In general though, I would say the following are key points:

• Take stock of your starting point and career goals first.  Then you can formulate a plan.
• A 4-year degree is required for most project manager positions
• Experience trumps graduate education in most cases for a project management role
• Certifications can be useful, but usually only once you have some experience to back them up.  Otherwise, view them as a learning tool, not a job marketing tool.
• Target organizations first, jobs second.  The organization you work for is more important than a job title at any organization.
• Networking is critical.  The majority of jobs are never posted.  You want to be a referral from someone who knows and trusts you.
• Volunteering internally within your current organization and externally is also critical.  Expect that you should prove by demonstration you can do a job before you earn it. 

What is the most valuable PM concept/technique one can use in their small business?

Do you bring any Project Management concepts/techniques to your personal life? How do you implement them?

Absolutely.   The discipline of project management can be applied to many places in personal life.  In fact I once recorded a video titled "Project Management in Everyday Life" in which I give a few examples.

What tools or resources can you recommend to the Project Manager wannabe?