9 Great Reasons to Choose a Project Management Career

When I met project management as a career, it was love at first sight. I already had an extensive background in banking, which was much more operational, and I was looking for something different to do with my life, plus some degree of independence.

I stumbled on project management, and it has always met my expectations for an ideal career, surpassing it, and enabling me have all the independence, fulfillment and satisfaction I need. These very points are what I intend to share with you about Project Management, and why it is a great career choice for you.

1. Great career outlook. There’s evidence there will be a big need for project manages over the next decade. A Anderson Economic Group shows strong project management job growth through 2027. “On an annualized basis, employers will need to fill nearly 2.2 million new project-oriented roles each year through 2027.”

Project management has a positive career outlook coupled with great pay. These are just two of the great points going for it as a career choice.

2. Great pay. According to Glassdoor, the national average salary for project managers is $80,854 per year (this should factor in for those seeking international job placements). And since that’s the average, of course, you could earn even more. What’s not to like about this?

3. Meaningful work. Project managers collaborate with teams to build solutions that solve problems. You can build things that make people’s lives better and change the world through what you create.

And if you’re working for a company you truly love, and want to be a part of their overall success, project management helps ensure that the company delivers value. This helps contribute to overall organizational success.

4. Continued opportunities to learn. Because projects can vary so much, you’ll continue to be challenged with opportunities to grow. If you’re in technology, for example, new and emerging technologies present constant chances to learn.

5. Work in many industries. Project managers are used in IT, healthcare, entertainment, the food and beverage industry, aerospace, and many more industries.

That same Anderson Economic Group study referenced above found future project management career growth in the following sectors: healthcare, manufacturing, information services and publishing, finance and insurance, management and professional services, utilities, and oil and gas. I even know a project manager who uses his skills in his church.

6. Can be done remotely. As a project manager, you need to be able to communicate with your team. But this doesn’t mean you actually need to be sitting with your team in the same room. It’s possible to work with distributed teams. Technology allows teams to work remotely more and more, and it’s becoming more common.

Project management can be done remotely. Technology allows you to connect with your team from almost anywhere.

7. Use many different skills. Project managers must rely on many different skill sets to be successful. You not only need to know frameworks and methodologies, but also many soft skills such as communication and diplomacy. There’s always more to learn and skills to strengthen.

8. Great career path with upward mobility. Working in a project manager role gives you skills and expertise that prepare you for many other positions later in your career. There are a myriad of career opportunities that project management prepares you for. Examples includes the jobs of a Product Manager, Chief Operating Officer, and even an entrepreneur. Even if you love project management and want to stay in that role for many years, you can move into a Senior Project Manager role and take on more complex projects.

9. It’s never boring. Project management by its nature means that you’ll work on projects – and projects have a definite ending. So once a project ends, you get to start another one. You get to see something to completion and then move on to another project.

Even if you work in an environment where you’re doing the same type of project, there will be variables among them. It may be a different customer with different needs and personalities or different risks to consider, but there will be variance among your projects. Or you may work in an environment with wildly different projects.

SUMMARY

Project management could be your dream job. There are so many reasons to love it as a career choice. If you’re considering it, take a closer look and let me know if you have questions!