CHAPTER 4
A CAREER IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
In this chapter I will discuss some of the points I believe to be fundamental for you to understand when deciding upon a career in project management.
There is a short-sighted perception from those who want to be project managers with respect to seeing only the benefits, the status, and the financial returns. A competent project manager can and should indeed receive worthy compensation. The problem lies therein, being competent.
In order to be a good project manager, one must have a set of competencies that go from an analytical planning prowess to entrepreneurship, from being able to perceive risks to leading people. It is not a set of extremely obvious skills that can be acquired very easily. Neither will an MBA nor a project management certification make you manage a project effectively.
The diploma and the certificate are important credentials, but the experience that you acquire every day and in every project is what turns you into a complete project manager, extremely sought after and valued.
As the world gets more and more “projectized,” the project management career is clearly booming. But just like I don't sing or play soccer, being a project manager is not for everybody.
Life is cruel. As you get more experienced in project management, the opportunities get more challenging. Your financial compensation does not necessarily follow the same rule!
To be a project manager is to be a stress manager. Always have in mind that if somebody pays you to be a project manager, he or she is paying you to take charge of his or her stress and problems.
A good way to broaden your professional opportunities when it comes to projects is to be open to projects outside your area of expertise. Many of the concepts that pervade projects are universal and can be applied to different types of projects.
Always start humble. Don't expect your first project to be a hydroelectric power plant. Maybe your next kitchen revamp or your next vacation trip would be an excellent starting point.
There is a huge market demand for working with projects. The challenge, on most occasions, is that the opportunities are not always geographically where you are. Be flexible about living in another country!
The most popular certifications in project management are, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential from Project Management Institute (PMI) and PRINCE2® Practitioner from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).
The project management certification leverages the potential for opportunities to at least getting the first job interview. What secures the job for you is what you have done with the knowledge you acquired in previous projects.
