The project management field is home to many experts worldwide who are taking project management to the next level. As of 2020, Zippia pegged the number of project management experts in the United States at over 600,000. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the general project management sector will create nearly 22 million new jobs worldwide by 2027. Despite the field’s promising outlook, beginning the project management journey as a professional can still be daunting. Here are some tips to help you become a project management professional.
Enroll in an accredited program.
Enrolling in graduate programs can be a great way to kick-start the project management journey, especially for interested high school students. Several academic institutions exist for prospective students to offer project management courses in the U.S. The academic programs often span over two to three years and come in various levels with different academic requirements and benefits. And sometimes, gaining admission can be challenging.
However, enlisting admission and educational consultants can be a great way to increase your chances of success. An admission counsellor can work at the high school or college level, assisting students through the entire application process. Their roles revolve around encouraging students to participate in college fairs and one-on-one sessions to select courses, sort out scholarships, and ultimately ensure that they make the best admission decisions.
Get the right certifications.
Project management careers are more practical, and gaining project management knowledge from a university is a great start for better project performance. Also, project management can be capital intensive, and recruiters are often critical of their project management personnel, ensuring they have what it takes to ensure efficient project outcomes and keep costs at the barest minimum. That’s why it’s essential to be PMP certified. Becoming a certified associate seals your project management experience and knowledge.
The exams feature practical test questions facilitated by prestigious PMP experts having provided professional services at the topmost level for a long time. Finding a project management certification course to advance your career can be as easy as a Google search. For instance, searching for “PMP exam prep Houston” can bring up several options in the Houston area. Leveraging these services to successfully complete your PMP certification is a good idea, and you can assess the various options based on other users’ reviews of their services.
Adopt new tools.
As project management evolves, several PMP online tools and methodologies emerge for team leaders to exploit for better outcomes. Effective project management tools can complement your knowledge, competency, and industry experience, allowing you to schedule tasks, simplify budgets, and perform several other project management duties. Popular tools on the market include Atlassian, Basecamp, and Microsoft Projects.
Learning to use these new tools for the first time can be challenging, but the results and impact on your project management efforts are immense. It allows you effectively manage inputs from multiple team members. That way, team leaders can coordinate multiple inputs frictionlessly, using digitally simplified project management processes to provide optimum results before your deadlines.
Join a professional network.
Becoming an expert in the project management world takes much time and effort. While you’re at it, you’ll need all the professional support you can get from senior colleagues. Therefore, joining a professional project management network is a great way to improve your work experience. The professional network can also expose you to several job opportunities to scale your career, and there are several ways to join professional networks, especially online. LinkedIn hashtags are a great way to identify thriving networks with no admission requirements.
All in all, planning and executing projects can be exciting, but the challenges can hit you hard, especially if you’re an entry-level project manager. These tips can help you better understand the realities of the project management field, honing your skills and expectations accordingly.
