When first getting in to PM, how important is it to have a background in a specific sector?
I am currently (just starting) my journey to obtain my CAPM certification. For the last 11 years I have nothing but freight forwarding/logistics experience. I was once a PM/sales for a cargo company for a year's time before I relocated. Unfortunately the company would not allow me to work mobile as there's no physical office where I moved to. PM from this point of view is very different compared to what PM actually entails within other fields. Essentially, I do PM work daily - just on a lower scale. From quoting, to acceptance of freight, to transport, tracking and tracing, to billing upon final delivery. It's all pretty relevant.
I know there's a lot of different fields to go in to for Project Management, so I am curious as to what I might want to consider looking at towards the future.
Any advice or tips, helpful hints are greatly appreciated. Looking to learn some things just by observation from many of you professionals.
Thank you! Saving Changes...
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Margaret LoveSenior Instructor| VelociteachGreenville, Sc, United States
I teach PM's and I can tell you that PM work varies greatly in different fields and different companies. That's why the best practices outlined in the PMBOK Guide are so valuable. They give us a common language and framework to build from! That said, to answer your question... You probably need to pick an industry and develop your PM skills there. It's best if you're a practitioner in the industry before you are a PM there. For example, in software, many companies are reluctant to hire a PM with no software experience. You don't have to be a programmer, but at least have spent time in some aspect of software development. Same with medical, which is another field with heavy use of PM's. You don't have to be a nurse or doctor to be a PM, but it's best if you can understand what they are talking about. Many many industries are now engaging professional PM's and some companies are becoming more accepting of people who know how to manage well even if they don't know the industry - but it's still a bit of a challenge.
I would make these suggestions to help you see some options and clarify which direction you want to head:
1) Join your local PMI chapter and attend their meetings. Ask questions of the PM's - where do they work? How'd they get their start? Is it a good field for PM's? etc? Most of us love to talk about ourselves :-)
2) Read about all types of projects - good examples in the PM Network magazine.
3) Velociteach's Manage This podcast is another great resource for hearing PM's talk about their projects (and it's free, too!)
4) Download and read PMI's PMP Exam Content Outline which does a great job of describing what a PM does.
5) Look at a bunch of LinkedIn or Monster or Indeed job postings for PM jobs and read the requirements. That gives you a good view of what companies are looking for when they hire PM's. Even if you aren't ready to change jobs, it doesn't hurt to apply to a few of those and go in to interview - you can learn a lot in a job interview!
You are definitely doing the right thing by posting on boards like this one and watching others' conversations. Good luck! Saving Changes...
In many respects domain experience is probably more important than qualifications. I would say in this order 1. general pm experience (assuming this is a lot longer than domain experience), 2. domain experience, 3. qualifications. Saving Changes...
