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Is Project Management a Good Career?

The answer to this question really depends on you. Everybody has different ideas about what they consider to be a good career depending on their motivation. So, one way to approach this question is to discover what motivates you. Is it money, variety, stability, routine, travel opportunities or something else? It would also be a good idea to be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. This way you’ll be able to assess whether you have the potential to be a successful project manager or not. Once you’ve thought about these points, read on to see if Project Management fits your idea of a good career.

What do you Want From a Career

Being a project manager requires a certain set of skills and preferences. Project Management could be a great career path if you:

1. want the choice to work freelance or in a salaried position
2. are comfortable managing people
3. crave variety in your work
4. enjoy problem solving
5. stay calm under pressure
6. are happy working to strict deadlines
7. can be flexible and adapt quickly
8. want the opportunity to travel to work on projects
9. desire a role that delivers a sense of satisfaction
10. want a challenging role.

Remuneration

Project management is a highly sought after skill – a skill employers are willing to pay well for. If monetary gain is high on your list of priorities then project management might just be for you. A quick search for project management jobs on the Internet shows salaried positions offering around £50,000 a year. However, this is only a rough guide as salaries will vary from sector to sector, from job to job and from country to country. And, if you work freelance, you’ll have the opportunity to negotiate your fees in advance.

Starting Out

When starting out, it may be worthwhile to get some work experience. You could, for example, volunteer to step in when the project manager in your company goes on holiday. If you do a good job, it could give you the edge when project management positions become available. There’s no reason why you can’t contact any business that uses project managers and ask if you could spend some time learning the ropes with them. Charities offer another source of volunteering opportunity. They are often in need of project managers for expeditions, community projects and the like. Once you have experience under your belt, you’ll be more attractive to companies recruiting project managers for salaried positions.

Salaried Positions

Once you are ready to start paid work you should find plenty of opportunity available. Every industry – from retail to finance to health – needs effective project managers. And, in certain rapidly changing industries, such as technology and construction, project managers are always highly sought after.

There are opportunities all over the world for those willing to move, and the remuneration packages on offer can be very attractive. Many contracts are on a freelance basis, however, there are also opportunities to work in salaried positions.

The increasing demand for project management skills has lead to a rise in the number of businesses specialising in the discipline. These should definitely be considered when searching for paid work. And, don’t forget, you give yourself an advantage if they already know you from your time volunteering.

Other places to check for project management positions are local and national newspapers, project management recruitment websites and specialist publications.

If you want to find out more about project management request a Business Training Project Management course prospectus.