Laura VannucciMeetings and Educational Technology Manager| American Dental Education AssociationMd, United States
I am thinking of making a career switch from meeting planning to project management. Would anyone mind walking me through what a typical day or week looks like for you? Thanks! Saving Changes...
Laura VannucciMeetings and Educational Technology Manager| American Dental Education AssociationMd, United States
Jan 16, 2020 4:12 PM
Replying to Drew Craig
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Laura - Welcome!
I’ve had many days where I spend the day walking around, talking with teams, individuals, etc. Then ‘do my work’ later. Then some days I have more ‘free’ time to catch up on other items.
What I really love is the human aspect. Those conversations and helping others to not just meet their goal, but understand what’s happening. I appreciated the opportunity to work with the teams and empower them to be confident and successful in their role and in the team. Certainly, lots of tactical efforts too, just highlighting the other aspects. And I appreciate those needs as well.
Probably how I ended up in a coaching role :)
Thanks Andrew - that sounds great! I enjoy working with people as well, so that sounds right up my alley. Saving Changes...
LORI WILSONRETIRED - Technical Project Manager| RETIRED - LifePoint HealthClarkston, Wa, United States
Hello Laura: How exciting that you are considering a career in Project Management, and I love that you are a member on this site. I agree with others who mention how every day is different, that is how it is for me. During the week I typically facilitate many meetings, update documents like the project plan, issues, risks, lessons learned, etc. and remove barriers so others can get their assignments completed. For example, I am currently working with 18 hospitals on a project but we've run into challenges with the SFTP (a secure tunnel for transferring data) process. All day today, I've been trying to get the right experts together to resolve the issue. That's part of what I love about project management, a lot of the time it feels like you are tap dancing on a moving floor, but it is never boring! Saving Changes...
Laura,
This profession is amazing, each day you will learn something new a different! However I have to explain that when I started this profession, I spent most of my time in front of scheduling tools or excel files to monitor and control risk, budget and others...
With the time and experience, I spend more time with People here and there and less in front of my computer.
As other said...you will never get bored.
Also, I would like to recommend to reach out your local chapter, maybe they have mentors that can help you in your transition. Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 16, 2020 4:46 PM
Replying to Laura Vannucci
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Thanks Rami - I like the idea of having every day being a little bit different!
It is indeed amazing. Cheers ! Saving Changes...
Laura VannucciMeetings and Educational Technology Manager| American Dental Education AssociationMd, United States
Jan 16, 2020 3:29 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Certification is there to complement experience, not replace it. I would suggest focusing on getting some meaningful hands-on PM experience first before looking at any certifications.
Thanks Kiron. Do you have a recommendation on how to do that? To be honest, this seems a bit of a Catch 22 to me - "how do you get meaningful PM experience when you don't have much to begin with?"
That said, I believe I do already have some PM experience, since I currently plan large meetings, however, I am not familiar with the standard operating procedures of a PM. This is why I thought a certification might be helpful. Saving Changes...
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