What was your first project management job?

Val,

I sort of fell into project management, or as some would say an accidental project manager. I volunteered for a project team within my company, I was so excited to work on the project that I continued to contact the project manager to see when the project was going to get started. The project manager that was leading team left for a new position and nominated me to lead the project efforts. That led to me career in project management over 12 years ago.

Good luck on your exam.

My first gig with PM even in the title was a IT Project Liaison. I stayed in that role for 4 yrs and came in it with a Master in PM but no certification. I had no PM industry specifications and stayed so long because there was so much to learn. Unfortunately, I was in an organization that would not promote me due to not having a PMP and was already getting the services of using me as a full fledged PM.

However, I gained the courage to start shopping my resume and went on very lucrative interviews with major companies who WERE willing to hire me without the PMP and gave me a senior title. After only two months with the new company I am proud to say I am now PMP certified.

So, sometimes taking a step backward to get in the door to gain valuable experience may not be your first choice but definitely worth it in the short/long run depending on how long you remain. Oh, and I used a previous employer and returned under that new PM Liaison role.

Hey Val!

I don't know if my answer changes anything for you but wanted to add here. I graduated as an electronics engineer from the university(BA) and it was my senior year when I decided that I didn't want to be a researcher or something like that. I was the chairwoman of IEEE Student branch at my university on that year and I loved the responsibility so I decided to look for PM positions but as you may guess it was pretty hard without an experience. then my chance turned and a software company found me via Linkedin and I was hired as a Junior PM.

The story begins afterward, I found out it was also hard to get into the work without the related background. Engineering manner was the same but for software/coding, I was not an expert of course. If I was hired at an electronics company I am sure it would be faster that I could get my hands dirty! But here, I'm just doing basic documentation and using my interpersonal skills in the team to get done basic tasks. So my advice is; whatever your main area is, start off from there. It could be a simple thing or it may not be a direct manager position but make sure you know the technic things so you can spend your time practicing the PM tasks instead of finding yourself reading a detailed glossary! I believe it is the key point.

Also congrats on your Masters! I graduated in September 2017 and decided to take a break before keeping up with my education. But in the meantime, I went and took project management classes and took the CAPM exam last week. I am trying to decide how to move to the next step. Let me know if you have any advice for me too! Thanks.