How to Become a Project Manager: Qualification, Skills, & Steps

Do you dream of becoming a project manager? Almost everyone in the modern workforce has worked on a team for a project, as project-based work is practiced by businesses of all kinds, from healthcare industries to engineering organizations. No wonder why many people choose to work as project managers and prefer to have the opportunity to lead projects. In this article, let us guide you on how to become a project manager and the skills needed to pursue this career.

What is a Project Manager?

One of the most difficult lines of work is project management. In this line of work, being monotonous and uninteresting has no place. A project manager (PM) oversees every stage of a project, including its conception, planning, implementation, control, and completion. Someone who wants to take the journey of being a PM should be prepared for the responsibilities of this career.  A project manager is usually amiable, flexible, and proficient to become an effective leader in the group she/he handles. For this reason, there is a certain set of skills that a PM should possess to fit this role. See the list of how to get into project management below.

Skills Needed for Project Management

• Ability to keep an eye on and manage budgets
• Thorough knowledge of business cases and risk management procedures specialized understanding to address particular circumstances demonstrated self-management and project management abilities
• The capacity to describe circumstances, record facts, and make a critical analysis
• Strong interpersonal abilities and leadership skills are required to lead a team.
• Good multitasking and organizing capabilities with accuracy and meticulousness
• Ability to adhere to plans and fulfill deadlines
• Creative attitude and good working ethic
• Practical experience with a project management tool
• Accountability and ability to work under pressure 

How to become a Project Manager?

1. Attain a Bachelor’s Degree
2. Choose an Area of  Specialization
3. Become PMP Certified
4. Gain Experience
5. Develop Management Skills

Attain a Bachelor’s Degree

To qualify for this role, you will need a minimum education requirement which is a bachelor’s degree. Usually, many aspiring project managers take up courses that are related to business or project management. On the other hand, there are also related courses that you can pursue such as engineering, IT, healthcare, marketing, and retail.

Choose an Area of Specialization

What makes it more interesting about this role is that you can choose your area of specialization. With that being said, you can work for various industries as a project manager and be flexible to work for the company that you desire. Some of the industries that need project managers are construction, healthcare, finance, information technology, and energy. These fields of work seek for project managers to help them manage different processes and handle numerous projects. 

Become PMP Certified

Being certified in project management can make you stand out from the competition and may be necessary for specific project manager professions. You can obtain a variety of certifications, including Project Management Professional (PMP) credentials. There are several requirements how to get PMP certification such as having 35 hours of project management training. Also, there will be a PMP exam that you need to pass in order to be certified. 

Gain Experience

After gaining the bachelor’s degree and certification required for the career, it is now time to go into the real world. Once you’ve made up your mind on the industry you want to work in, search for entry-level jobs that will give you project management experience there. This is specifically for those who are not yet experienced, but of course f you have a broad experience in this career, you can demand a higher opportunity.

You may be asking now “how to become a project manager without experience?” Well, the above-mentioned steps should be taken. Further, you need to develop the skills you highlighted that are essential to this role, such as scheduling, people management, and organization. And you can also start with entry-level positions including project manager assistant, associate in operation, associate in administration, project manager in training, etc. 

Develop Management Skills

Focus on enhancing your management abilities as you expand your professional competence. You will need solid management skills as this role frequently supervises other employees. In this case, taking higher-priority tasks or challenging workloads can develop your skills. These can be stepping stones to leveling up your career or being promoted to a higher position in your company. Remember, the more that you improve your skills, the more chance to be successful in this field.

Conclusion

Whether you work in a small business or corporation, a project manager is essential. A PM must possess great management skills in order to be efficient in this role. In this article, we have discussed the most important set of skills that you will need if you aspire to be a project manager. Meanwhile, we also provided a guide on how to become a project manager. We hope that it will help you to develop skills, pursue this career, and succeed in the future. Follow GitMind for more interesting and inspiring guides like this.