How do I get back into project management?
I have seven years' IT experience, mostly in sales. I was made
redundant in 2001 from a large IT supplier and have since been
working for a legal firm. I would like to return to IT in a project
management role. I started out as a project control officer and was
headhunted into sales - I feel I missed my true calling. Any
ideas?
The solution
You will have to start in a more junior role
Project management is a very popular area, and one that is getting
crowded. It is important that you take time to understand which
aspect of project management you want to get into (ie
infrastructure, development, analysis, etc) and plan your approach
before embarking on any radical changes.
It may not be easy to gain enough experience to get your career
going in a new direction.
You need to be realistic about getting into project management. You
will have to start with project co-ordinator positions, or project
management office administration positions, where you can gain
valuable hands-on experience and learn project management from
people already in the profession.
As a first step, it would be advisable to get some qualifications -
the most applicable is probably Prince 2. There are many other
courses and modules to discover, so research your chosen area and
focus on achieving the relevant qualifications.
Only you can decide what your true calling is and how hard you are
prepared to work to achieve it, but it seems that if you get sucked
back into sales, even in the short term, you should consider a
consultant position. This would combine pre- and post-sales
elements with the possibility of getting some exposure to project
management.
Solution by Robert Nunn, senior account manager, Plan-Net
ServicesThe panel: Plan-Net Services, Zarak Technology, Hudson, Reed
Technology, Spring Group
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