Article Overview
Project management may look like a very productive career. The pay is incredibly great, it's highly in-demand, and you get to work on different projects with new people together. But let's not forget about all the responsibility, pressure, and uncertainty. In this article, you'll discover 12 pros and cons that will help you decide whether project management is the right career path for you.
Table of Contents
Project management isn't the standard boring job you do every day. In fact, you rarely do the same thing. It's very diverse because each project is different from one another.
Having diverse work is crucial because it will increase your satisfaction and prevent burnout. Did you know that 73% of employees report burnout?
But it's not only you who doesn't get burned out but also the employees you work with.
Effective project management can prevent that and make everyone work as productively as possible. If you like taking new adventures and helping other people, project management can be the right career path for you.
Project management may not be the most straightforward job. But you're definitely getting paid for the effort you make.
According to Glassdoor, the national average entry-level project manager salary is $60k.
It's pretty good pay for just managing people. This is because you can help companies save a lot more. On average, 1 in 6 IT projects has a cost overrun of 200%. It's your job to prevent that and save the company money by managing employees.
So if you are looking for great pay for your work, look no further. Project management is a lucrative career path you will be satisfied with.
If you decide to start learning project management, you have a great future curved out for you. Project management has a great job perspective, and it's estimated that 22 million new project management jobs will be open through 2027.
There are also only a few professionals who can do the job done correctly, though.
Therefore be sure to study it in-depth and get as much knowledge as possible. An easy way to learn more about project management is with online courses. They'll improve your craft and get you top of things in no time.
They are also a lot more engaging than old-fashioned books and blog posts online.
So be sure to sign up for some of the best online courses, They’ll get your skills to the next level, give you a competitive advantage and help you move forward faster.
It's the only way to build a successful project management career.
Some people consider a project management job as excellent training for becoming a CEO.
Both roles face similar challenges - working with investors, making impactful decisions, and managing employees.
It can be a great opportunity, especially if you're looking to start your own business in the future, but you don't have the resources for it yet. You can use a project management job for gaining resources while preparing to become a CEO at the same time.
If this sounds like you, give it a try and get a feel of being in charge.
As a project manager, you talk to people on a day-to-day basis.
You talk to them, hear them out and give them detailed directions on how you expect them to work. This will go a long way in improving your soft skills, including skills like communication skills, attitudes, mindsets, etc.
You'll often get asked to prepare a presentation and present new ideas to the teams.
This may not be great news for you if you are a shy person. But don't look at it from a negative perspective. Instead, use it as a way to grow and gain valuable skills.
Communication is one of the most essential skills to develop.
Project management can take you on many adventures.
One time, you can be working on a marketing project, while another time, you can be launching a successful weight loss app.
Whatever it is, it will help you widen your knowledge and make you more well-rounded.
There are a few skills you should learn beforehand, though. This includes things like planning, organizational skills, and being goal-oriented. You should also be aware of the sales funnel and how it works.
This is critical to attract the right audience and make your projects thrive. It will also help you with maximizing your project’s potential and ROI. So be sure to learn it to develop a winning strategy.
Launch a product that will lead to desired results and drive tons of sales.
Project management may not look as great if you don't like taking risks.
The truth is, most of the time, you don't know how the project will go. You can manage and coordinate employees however you want. But all of that is just guesswork.
The only way to become a successful project manager is by trial and error.
You must try new things, see what works and what doesn't, and learn from your mistakes to improve your craft. That's why you should be smart about your learning management system and write a detailed outline of your project management strategies.
There are a few learning management software solutions that can help you do it more effectively. They will allow you to track your progress, generate reports and have a better overview of the strategies that have brought the best results.
Be sure to keep learning, don't get discouraged, and you'll be on a way to a big success.
Not everything will always work out perfectly.
Be prepared that some of your projects will fail or don't deliver the results they should. And guess who will take full blame for it… YOU.
That's right. You must be prepared for negative comments and taking full responsibility for the projects you are managing. It may not be your fault that the project won't succeed, yet everyone will point the finger at you.
There's not much you can do about it, though. Just be prepared for it, learn from your mistakes, and move forward.
Project management can be very stressful.
You are responsible for the coordination and performance of your team and usually for whether a project is successful or fails. But as the stress level rises, performance decreases.
For you, as a project manager, it may mean missed deadlines or getting over budget.
That's why you should learn how to deal with pressure and fight it. The most common ways to do that are to meditate, learn to say no, or delegate unimportant tasks. But there are a lot of other ways which you should definitely try.
If you are looking for a stress-free job, project management may not be suitable for you.
Some employees may not fancy that you're in charge of the project. They may claim that they have a better strategy and that others shouldn't listen to you.
This may lead to other people doubting your abilities and sabotage the project.
That's why you must face these disagreements and problematic employees early on. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it may seem, especially nowadays when you have to do all of the communication remotely due to the coronavirus.
Talking remotely is a lot less personal and persuading others is incredibly more difficult. That’s why you should use the right remote work software to increase your chances.
Doing so will help you communicate with your teammates flawlessly and maximize the potential of conveying your message properly.
Be sure to pick your favorite remote work software, talk with your team members privately and discuss the whole project strategy. Maybe you even find out a better plan with your team members and build a mutual friendship at the same time.
Either way, don't let problematic employees kill your project and lead to poor performance.
If you are a freelance project manager, you'll be changing companies a lot.
Unfortunately, this also means that you'll have to go through tedious tasks like understanding the company's culture and adapting to its standards. It can take you a lot of time to figure out and can be tricky.
You will also constantly work with new teams and different people you must get to know.
That's why you should start doing some team-building activities and get on the right foot with the team. Get to know its members, understand the company better and make the project management as efficient as possible.
Check out these top team-building activities and better understand the company's culture.
Project management usually leaves no room for creativity.
You either excessively focus on setting fixed deadlines and forcing the team members to work with the strict parameters. You are operating by some standards instead of coming up with new things every time.
Unfortunately, this may discourage innovative thinking and may lead to poorer results.That's why it's essential to use different thinking styles and know precisely when to be creative and when to use strict standards instead. And the only way to find out is by gaining experience.
Summary
Project management has a lot of pros that make it a great career path. On the one hand, you have a super in-demand, high-paying job that will never bore you. But on the other hand, you have a lot of pressure, dealing with uncertainty and taking a big responsibility for the project's success. Carefully consider all pros and cons above and decide whether it's the right job for you.