Is a project management career right for me?

Strong collaborators and natural leaders make great project managers. This is because the job requires a great deal of communication, motivation and consensus-building, often with people with differing priorities. While project management roles are about managing the practical aspects of a project, this has to be balanced carefully with the needs of the humans who are making it happen – a skill in itself.

Almost every industry has a place for project managers, from technology to marketing, events to construction. So, naturally, prior industry experience can be an advantage if you are coming from an existing career.

How do I get into project management?

So, how do you become a project manager? Well, there are a number of different project management methodologies, such as PRINCE2 and Scrum. A qualification in a methodology is seen as essential by some employers to begin a career in project management, so a project manager course with a certification is often recommended as a good place to start.

Experience from previous careers is often both highly transferable and highly valued, in particular when project managers have relevant industry experience.