A project manager would have to take care of all the resources allocated for the project, plan targets, and achieve the same. These projects could range to anything depending on the career path you plan to follow. For example, a career in project management in Information technology could mean you would have to look after various software or hardware development projects, networking projects, development projects, or any other IT related projects where one needs to plan, delegate and execute work, in a team or single handedly, and would require proper management of time, money, people, and materials to complete the project with perfection.
To pursue a career in project management one must have certain additional qualifications apart from being a mere graduate. A degree in project management or an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) becomes a must. Apart from the degree, experience in the respective field for project management that one wishes to follow is almost always a must. There are many institutes that delegate project management training. A certificate from one of these project management institutes could go a long way in helping you succeed with a career in project management. A career in project management can make you reach great heights as the opportunity to excel is immense.
Projects can range from large to small and remunerations for the same are planned according to the volume of the project. A great way to start a career in project management would be to start off with small freelance projects and see how you can handle them before becoming a full time project manager at a reputed organization. A good project manager can become a group manager or a group director if he or she manages to prove themselves in this field.
A project manager must be very proficient in computers as he or she will need to make a lot of reports and charts to create targets for the team and self, give presentations to the client or management and track the progress of the project assigned. A minimum knowledge of MS Office that includes Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint is a must. However these days there is specific project management software that has been developed for project managers to get better control of their life at work and knowledge of this is desirable.
Openings in the field of project management are highest in the IT department followed by engineering, education, science, and medicines. Projects managers with a technical qualification are the highest in demand and the most paid. A project manager can earn salaries that range to anything from $10,000 a year to $80,000 a year depending on the project he or she manages to grab. While working in an organized business house one would get paid according to monthly salaries while if you choose to work as a freelancer, you would be paid once the project has been completed, or if you are lucky you could be paid an advance of a certain percentage of the total project value. Project managers in IT are the highest paid.
A project manager in engineering could earn up to $70,000 annually, and mechanical project managers could earn up to $80,000 a year. Believe it or not a successful project manager could earn up to $150,000 and more a year.
Pursuing a career in project management could be quite lucrative and interesting as well as you get to work on various projects which brings in a variety in your job profile. It gives you an opportunity to prove yourself and get noticed as you would be solely held responsible for your actions as a project manager. There are chances of high levels of recognition if you manage to complete a project successfully and with perfection within a stipulated time period.
The career prospect is quite challenging and takes out your latent talents too, if any. You could be a planner, an analyst, an evaluator, a risk taker, a job allocator, an organizer, a team leader, a delegator, someone controlling and managing a project completely, a report track keeper and a performance analyst or someone who can foresee the future. A career in project management demands you to be very efficient, motivated, a leader, diplomatic and strong minded enough to be able to make decisions by you alone. So if all these characteristics match your expertise, nature, and qualifications, a career in project management is the perfect choice for you.
