PM ADVISORY:

Starting Your Project Management Career

By Josh Nankivel
USA

Getting started in project management can be tough. When starting out, there are many questions and challenges to face, and they are different based on your particular background and situation.

People who struggle with this come from various backgrounds:

Project Newbies - You might be a recent graduate or switching careers. If you have no experience whatsoever with working on or managing projects, it can seem almost impossible to get your foot in the door.

Technical Gurus – You have been on project teams and been “in the trenches” getting things done. Now it seems that managing these projects is your calling, but you have to go through a paradigm shift and learn new skills to make the transition.

People Managers – You have been managing people and are good at it. Now you want to expand your horizons and switch from the day-to-day management of functional teams to the dynamic environment of delivering unique projects.

You might be trying to break into project management, or you may be an “Accidental Project Manager” who looked up one day and asked, “What have I gotten myself into?” A project fell in your lap somehow. How do you get good at managing it, now that it is a thorn in your side great opportunity in your life?

The questions I get most from these groups center around expanding knowledge, gaining experience, and planning your career path. Answers change based on individual circumstances. Your personality attributes and background play heavily into the path forward.

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About the Author Josh Nankivel Author Josh Nankivel, BSc PM, PMP coaches new and aspiring project managers to achieve their career goals through various publications and training courses. He founded pmStudent in 2006 to help himself and others learn more about project management as a discipline and career. He has been managing IT and non-IT projects in Computing, Financial Services, Telecommunications, and Aerospace for over a decade. Josh’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Project Management and he is PMP certified. He lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA with his wife and 3 sons. Connect with Josh on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and FriendFeed or send him an email.