In short, I am looking for advice and I am hoping someone out there understand how to help me move forward in my career development.
In my 20 years as a professional I have figured out what I do not want to do. And things I enjoy, but don't know how to pivot or improve on.
- I started in the energy industry as an senior analyst then for a moment as a project manager. I was at the company for 7 years when I decided I wanted a change and went for a start up where I ended up becoming furloughed. I continued down the energy efficiency path for another 3 years with a well known govt contractor, but during this time I really wanted to be hands on and starting learning how to code. I started taking a bootcamp on coding.
- I got recruited to a 6-month contract as a front-end developer and project manager, thus staring my first industry pivot.
- Since then I have been a developer, a product manager, and a project manager. For some time I was product manager for voice apps (though I did a lot more of the PM work) and then a project manager on (mostly) website design, development, and launch. What I loved is the research, sometimes working hands on, reviewing work, being part of creating great user experiences, and collaborating on ideas.
- My last endeavor was a Marketing Operations Project Manager for a manufacturing company with a large e-commerce site. I won't go into details, but either the job, industry, or company (or maybe all) wasn't the right fit.
- I chose to leave my job and get my PMP.
- I have part time work under an NDA for a travel company doing UAT in AI products. There is an element of fun to this.
- I love travel, specifically planning travel. I love events. Specifically planning events. Creating experiences, themes, budgeting, and keeping spreadsheets of data is my fun place. Yet I have no real professional experience (outside of being a certified travel agent and some volunteer experience) in this realm.
- So now I sit here going, what's next?
- I know I am not a sales person. I have learned this multiple times.
- I know I hate being dishonest. I saw how much my last job tricked people into spending more money for "upgrades" that were not actual upgrades.
- I know I need a balance of heads-down work, collaboration, research, and hands-on creation.
- In my ideal job, I would make a difference, I would celebrate achievements with my team, and I would create the best user experiences ever. But I don't know how to obtain this.
- I have learned that getting as job just as a Website Project Manager doesn't really exist to a great extent and I have struggled with what to call myself in my resume. I would probably have to gain experience in Marketing/SEO to improve my chances.
- If I went the event manager route, what are my options? What certifications do I need? How do I prove myself and get that job?
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