You may find yourself in a situation in IT where you have been asked to be both a developer and a project lead at the same time. Perhaps you are tired of having to learn a new a new technology every year or two to stay current in your job. Or perhaps you have gotten a taste of project management and you LIKE it.
There may be economic reasons why you also might consider moving from a technical role to a project manager. If your organization is looking at more outsourcing of jobs, or worse yet, entire departments, project management may be a more secure job. Most organizations keep project managers on staff while other positions go to other companies or locales. Your organization will need people in positions of oversight to make sure the outsource organizations do what they have committed to. More and more of that oversight is being done by project managers.
If you find yourself in any of these situations, it may be time to add some project management training to your skill set. Buy a good book on the subject or take a project management basics class to get the fundamentals down. Then practice what you’ve learned and get better with every project that you take on.
After you’ve been doing project management for a while, your growth and the natural desire to get better at your job will probably spur you on to purchase a copy of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). This is the worldwide standard that has been accredited by ANSI, the American arm of ISO. The Project Management Institute (PMI), the project management industry’s premier organization, assists with the development and promotion of this standard, along with being an advocate for the industry, a promoter of educational and certification for project managers and advancement of the industry knowledge.
While many technicians may scoff at the idea of moving to a job that may have a reputation for being inexact and nebulous, an educated and skilled project manager knows that project management, when done correctly, is actually quite a precise and learned discipline. If this information has piqued your interest, read the PMBOK® Guide and you’ll come away with a new appreciation for project management and those project managers who are really practicing the project management discipline the way it was meant to be performed.
When you’re ready, the next step is to get serious about the profession and get certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®). Neither of these credentials is easy to obtain, but both speak volumes about your skills and dedication to the project management profession. The credentials may also make the difference between remaining employed, or spending your time looking for your next job.
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