Project management is the discipline of using established principles, procedures, and policies to successfully guide a project from conception through completion.
Basically, project managers ensure project goals are defined, resources are available for the completion of the tasks, qualified teams are assigned to tasks that they can complete, and in general that the project is completed.
Project managers must ensure that they understand the project at hand and can communicate effectively with clients per satisfaction and requirements, that teams can carry out the required work needed to achieve the desired or required results.
To succeed in your project manager career, ensuring you are equipped with the right skills will help make the work easier and allow you to become more acquainted.
Project management has become a career part for many people and to succeed in your career whichever you choose, you must be ready to put in the work required and choose to consistently upgrade yourself to meet the standards that the project requires.
Excellence and consistency must go hand in hand to achieve optimal results.
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Project Management Education
Typical project management diplomas last the average 4 or 5 years academic semester years in universities been offered.
Many online programs can help you achieve the goal you have in mind. If you are an international student seeking to study project management there are various prestigious universities that you can apply for, some we will have to look into in this section:
1. UC Berkeley
Requirements
Prospective students should have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. However, there are no admissions requirements for the certificate program.
To register online for the Certificate Program in Project Management, complete these two steps:
- Submit the online registration, and complete your student account profile if you are a new student.
- Pay the nonrefundable registration fee through your shopping cart. Please allow 3–5 business days for the registration to appear in your student account.
You should register for the certificate after you complete the first course in the curriculum.
The program is estimated to cost $6,900.
For more info visit here.
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2. University of California, Los Angeles
This certificate can be completed 100% online or in person. The program lasts for about 6 months.
Meanwhile, the typical pace is less than 1-2 years. The program costs $6000. Visit here to get more information.
3. Boston University
Requirements for an MS in project management are
- A completed Application for Graduate Admission.
- Three letters of recommendation. It is required that one be an academic reference if you graduated or engaged in postgraduate education in the past three years.
- You must supply the name and email address of your recommenders to submit your application. Recommendations must be received before your application can be reviewed.
- A personal statement (short essay discussing your motivation for study).
- A current résumé.
- Transcript(s) from each college and graduate school attended. Unofficial transcripts can be uploaded to your application. Official transcripts will be required upon matriculation.
- A nonrefundable application fee ($85 for master’s degree application, $25 for graduate certificate applications).
Tuition fees are $29,280 per semester, you can apply here.
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4. Walden University
Requirements- A bachelor’s degree is required for admission to a graduate certificate program.
Exceptions and other requirements may apply, depending on individual programs. Consult your Walden Enrollment Specialist about admission requirements for specific certificate programs.
Call 844-855-5613 in the United States or see a list of international toll-free phone numbers.
The total cost of the program is $2,700 with $75 for the technology fee. Visit here to get more information on the application process.
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5. De Paul University, Chicago, Illinois
Requirements- Complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours in the designated degree program.
- Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program.
- Earn a grade of C- or better in all courses of the designated degree program.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- Students pursuing a second (or more) graduate degree may not double count or retake any course that applied toward the completion of a prior graduate degree. If a required course in the second degree was already completed and applied toward a previous degree, the student must meet with a faculty advisor to discuss a new course to be completed and substituted in the new degree. This rule also applies to cross-listed courses, which are considered to be the same course but offered under different subjects.
- Students pursuing a second master’s degree must complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours beyond their first designated degree program in addition to any required introductory courses in their second designated degree program. Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate with distinction.
How to Apply
To apply for the program visit here.
Another way like mentioned before you can get your degree or equip yourself with your project manager career is through online means, some of the universities offer both on-campus and offline programs.
Some online programs are also offered by online websites that might be shorter than traditional degree some of them are;
1. Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization
The program is offered on Coursera by UCI. The program is free and starts on October 18th. You can apply here.
2. Project Management Professional (PMP)
The course is offered by the project management institute, this is a four-year degree. To get more info visit.
3. Project Management and its Role in Effective Business
The course is offered by Coventry University and on future Learn. Program completion will last for approximately 10 weeks. You can view more information on their website.
Project Manager Path Framework
There are entry jobs for non-degree project managers, each though must commit to the learning process and build a reputable project manager career.
In this content are detailed ways your project manager career can go and how you can make the most out of it.
Some leading industries you can look forward to your project manager career are:
- Law Firms
- IT Companies
- Construction and engineering
- Banking sector
- Designing companies.
Professional project managers will be required to fill up essential roles in industries and roles they may work in are Project coordinator, project lead, Project manager, Project officer, Project support officer, Project administrator, Business analyst, Junior project manager, Assistant project manager, PMO coordinator, PMO analyst, Project analyst, Portfolio analyst, Portfolio coordinator among many other opportunities.
Project managers in health and social care play important roles in the industry help such as hiring doctors, they also assign health professionals to tasks, identify core issues to plan a solution to certain problems, and monitor the progress been made in whatever department or unit.
As same as construction, project managers here oversee a variety of large construction projects to ensure competition and great quality work is achieved during its course.
Project managers can become CEOs and can lead company policies towards more growth and see with the experience they had coupled with the skills, project managers can aspire to lead the company as a whole. With a more technological role in the industry as a whole, project managers will have an extra task to innovate to avoid being outdone.
Project Management Skills
There are certain skills that you must acquire to be able to fulfill being a project manager along with your degree this will help you become more efficient in carrying out the desired results and excellence at the end of each project to be able to satisfy the clients.
To build a project manager career will require you are aware of the changes going on in the company and be able to execute the set of projects that will be crucial to the success of the business.
With the introduction of more technology in the business sphere, some of the new problems arising will require a more advanced skillset and new training, to be able to deliver on business goals, be visionary, and be strategically aware of set projects will go a long way to achieving the top of the ladder in project management.
These skill sets are to be acquired by project managers to make them be able to carry out a successful project and to build a project manager career, these skills are:
Clear Communication
Project managers must communicate with team members on projects that need to be accomplished and through good communication projects can be delegated and each person responsible for any task can perform which is required of them.
Be accountable
Project managers must be accountable by taking responsibility for decisions and actions where the project comes in place.
Clear accountability leads to a strong leadership lead that can bolster the confidence of team members in the project.
Leadership skills
This is one of the most important skill sets required for a project manager career, to be able to lead others is a compulsory skill required to fulfill any project that may be required. Leadership provides direction.
Creativity
Project managers need to be creative to avoid stale and boring projects that dissatisfy everybody.
Thus they need to sharpen their creative acumen and think outside the box to continue to deliver on Genuity and originality.
Critical thinking
Solving complex problems require being able to analyze and evaluate information gathered through observation, experience, and communication.
Immediate decisions will require project managers to come up with solutions to problems.
Strong work ethic
Hard work and discipline are the important building blocks of any professional career.
Project managers need to build ethics in work and be committed to finishing tasks than leaving them midway when the tasks get harder.
Having this skill ensures that others following can take a good example of their leader.
Time management
Professionals need to work with time frames to get further in any career. Project managers will require you to pay attention to deadlines and meet them with properly done work.
Delivering before deadlines allows for further scrutiny of work to ensure standards were met before final work.
Defined work processes
Defining certain work parameters for team members can offer them a path to work on and with and ensure that all due processes are followed.
A defined work process will require project managers to be able to juxtapose protocol and excellence.
Accuracy
Project managers need to be certain of the facts and focus more on them, ensuring that the desired outcome for projects is achieved leaving no room for errors, and ensuring that certain targets are met for any project at all.
Progression in project management will require planning, research on what’s working, and monitoring the progress of tasks being carried out.
Evaluating your skill set and mastery of skills will go long way in the building process, your scope also is an important factor that allows you to envision possible setbacks to conquer, this allows you to plan for the long term and avoid caught up in the heat of the project.
Collaborative efforts also go a long way to help achieve goals instead of chunking up most of the responsibilities, in this way team members can follow up on your lead and execute properly on given assignments.
Project managers work an average of 40 hours per week and tasks might be too demanding, this will require project managers to focus on more important tasks to fulfill.
This also depends on the project manager’s ability to be able to delegate tasks and communicate effectively on how they want the project to be carried out.
To be a successful project manager incorporating these aforementioned skillsets is a must. With constant changes within a company, the project manager should be able to adapt the plans accordingly to ensure that the project is not out of touch.
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Project Management Salary
In Nigeria, the average project manager makes 250,000 per month, this usually differs depending on the industry you find yourself in, also experience matters and can go a long way.
In the United States, the average salary is $74,000 to $144,000 per year depending on the state and role you play in the industry.
Conclusion
To have a successful project manager career you must be ready to put in the work and consider always looking out for things that are working in the industry to incorporate these models.
With more technology introduced in the industry project managers should be able to identify opportunities that offer productivity.
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