Author: Oluseyi Akigbogun

She also remembers her early career days and loves working with new project managers and those who want to make a career move into project management. It’s not necessary to have a project management certification to get a project management job or to have a successful project management career. Yes, project management remains a highly sought-after skill across industries. As organisations prioritise efficiency and timely execution, trained project managers with certifications from platforms like Janets are valued assets. Look for opportunities within your current role to lead or contribute to projects.

Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

Additionally, highlight occasions where you managed conflict and adapted to changing circumstances. The Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification is awarded by the Project Management Institute. It is a globally recognized certification that proves a PM professional can manage people, business processes, and the organizational priorities of projects.

Alternative Ways to Start a Project Manager Career

These tools help with collaboration, scheduling, budgeting, communication, and more. Many professionals transition into project management later in their careers. The Coding combination of experience and newly acquired project management skills can be a strong advantage. Leading a diverse team with varying skill sets, personalities, and goals is a rewarding but challenging aspect of project management.

Skills Every Project Manager Needs

Whether you need a Gantt chart or a Kanban board, it has all the features you need to deliver your project — your way. It all depends on what processes and frameworks your industry (and company) prefers to use — so do your research, talk to others in the field, and decide what the Technical Project Manager/Business Analyst job best agile certification for you is. There’s also an agile-specific PRINCE2 certification, PRINCE2 Agile, which is available at both Foundation and Practitioner levels.

Additionally, there are many online platforms offering comprehensive courses in project management principles. Here are a few different project management certifications that you can apply for. Do some research to find out what skills and qualifications recruiters are looking for. Read through project manager job descriptions—whether that’s internally at your current company or at another organization you’re interested in. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual salary for a project management specialist in the US is $95,370 3. Glassdoor reports similar data, with a project manager’s average annual base salary being $98,529,  rising to an average of $124,376 for a senior project manager 4,5.

• For most project management positions, a bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement.
• Some examples are Administrative Assistant, Business Analyst, and Finance Analyst, but these are only a few.
• The job prospects for project managers are expected to remain strong over the next decade.
• Project management might be a good fit if you’re organized, intrigued by people, and ready to take on a larger role in your career.
• However, to qualify, you must have 60 months of professional project manager experience, while bachelor’s degree-holders only need 36 months.
• Even if a project has been well-planned, someone still needs to make sure that everything moves forward as planned.
• Whether you’re an aspiring project manager, a software developer, a team leader, or a seasoned project manager, a PMP certification is an essential professional requirement.

• Project managers play a crucial role in improving these odds by overseeing everything from product launches to system migrations.
• That means even if your organization doesn’t hire dedicated project managers, it still has people doing the work of project managers and project coordinators.
• Their responsibilities are varied, but each one is crucial in keeping projects on track and achieving objectives from initiation to completion.
• There are many methodologies and techniques available, such as the Eisenhower Matrix or Pomodoro technique, that you can adopt to improve your time management abilities.
• Stakeholders may demand changes that don’t align with the project’s scope, budget, or timeline.

You can also undertake a degree at this level if you have equivalent professional experience. Similar to the CAPM certification, you must validate your project management capability, education, and experience by undertaking 35 hours of PM training. Additionally, you need to prove that you have at least 36 months of project management experience if you have a degree and 60 months of experience if you have a high school diploma. The exam fee for PMP certification for PMI members is $405, while non-PMI members pay $555. Perhaps they are worried that a project will fail, and they may see an opportunity to take a shortcut. Maybe there is a conflict of interests that requires a difficult decision.

Consider junior positions in projects

Companies rely on project managers to oversee the successful execution of software development, data science initiatives, and cybersecurity projects. Yes, with the right mix of experience, education, and certifications, you can enter the field at a young age. Janets offers foundational courses in project management that are ideal for young professionals eager to develop their skills early. Project managers need strong organisational, communication, and problem-solving skills. Relevant experience, paired with project management certifications or courses, especially from recognised platforms like Janets, demonstrates your qualifications effectively.