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Do you have a passion for supporting IT initiatives, overseeing processes, managing tasks, establishing budgets, and collaborating with cross-functional teams? If so, then consider a career as an IT Project Manager. According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Project Management Specialists are predicted to grow by 7% through 2031.
What You Should Know to Get Started as an IT Project Manager
What is an IT Project Manager?
An IT Project Manager serves as a liaison between business and IT. This role is responsible for leading, planning, managing, and overseeing the technical aspects of projects which are temporary assignments set for a specified time from initiation to completion. Although a project manager can serve in any industry an IT Project Manager focuses solely on the organization's IT strategic goals.
Is a career as an IT Project Manager worth it?
Yes absolutely! It is a great way to be part of a team that helps organizations meet their IT goals, work with different teams, and get a better understanding of how new software, hardware, and infrastructure are implemented into an organization's framework. It can be a great way to showcase your time management, organization, and conflict resolution skills.
What do I need to get started to learn about this career path?
You can learn anything you'll need and gain real-world experience at your fingertips with the help of courses on Udemy, Coursera Google Project Management, university/college course offerings, boot camps, LinkedIn Learning, or joining various Project Management (PM) groups on LinkedIn.
Here is some foundational knowledge on what I believe can help you choose the right IT career specifically as an IT Project Manager.
Certifications to consider:
Related Job Titles:
Project Administrator
Project Assistant
Project Coordinator
Project Specialist
Project Analyst
Junior Project Manager
Project Manager
Technical Project Manager
In project management, there are a lot of skills that you need to be successful and of value to the teams that you support. Your soft skills and/or interpersonal skills are one big component so honing those is very important as you will need to rely on many of them. If you've ever led and/or been assigned tasks no matter how big or small think about the situation, task, action, and the results and correlate that with whether or not you have real-world experience. As this role will require you to reflect on the times you've led or managed a project, especially during interviews.
Here is a list of great articles that will help you identify the skills you need to be successful in this role:
IT Project Management oftentimes requires specific experience; however, many professionals either obtain IT experience and/or work towards specific project management-related certifications. There is no specific path to landing an IT project management role but understanding the importance of this function, speaking to others in similar roles, and having knowledge in IT can give you the boost that you need to apply, interview, and potentially land this role.