7 Reasons You Should Become a Project Manager

Choosing a career can be tricky. And oftentimes, careers evolve over time no matter what you study in school. Project management is a skill that is needed at just about every type of business across the board. We've compiled a list of 7 reasons why you should consider a career as a project manager, as well as some tips and tricks to get you started.

Challenge and creativity

A project manager has a lot of responsibility coordinating work and managing projects, and a lot of it is done behind the scenes. However, a project manager's job is critical to an organization and comes with its own set of challenges. Project managers must stay on top of their projects, identify and solve any issues, and often is in charge of creating new processes as well. A career as a project manager will definitely keep you on your toes, and challenge you to use your creativity.

“Project management can be defined as a way of developing structure in a complex project, where the independent variables of time, cost, resources and human behavior come together.” ~ Rory Burke

Cultivate friendships with stakeholders

With every new project, a project manager intakes comes a new set of stakeholders involved on the project. Whether it's the executive team, a client, or a boss - project managers work with people on a day-to-basis. If you enjoy meeting new people, and building relationships, a career in project management might be what you are looking for. By developing your people skills and improving your emotional intelligence, not only will you be good at building relationships at work, but those skills can be transferred to your personal life as well.

“Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.” ~ Brian Tracy

Give your OCD an outlet

With project management, attention to detail is critical. A missed step in a task or a delay in production can cost thousands of dollars to a business. Give your OCD something to tackle. If you are a perfectionist, project management might be a good way to get a release and get work done all at the same time. Whether you are tweaking workflows, checking quality, or building templated tasks, you will have no shortage of opportunities to hone your craft.

Learn agility

A lot of project managers work with the agile methodology for project completion. This means that you learn how to get things done quicker, more efficiently, and have a team dynamic that includes accountability and quality work. Plus, if you become a SCRUM project manager, you will be only that more qualified for new jobs and promotions.

Bonus* See how to use Workast to run your sprints here.

Salary matters

According to Indeed, the average project manager makes over $77,000 dollars a year. Whereas, the average median salary across the USA is only $34,000 dollars a year. Whether you choose to work for a small business or a huge corporation, the job outlook is high as well.

Demand

The demand for project managers is high. The Project Management Institute (PMI®) expects through 2027. With a high salary, and a high demand, getting a long-term position within a business is very attainable. Many project managers work in the IT or tech sector, but there are project manager jobs in a wide variety of niches including government, eCommerce, construction, and more!

Always learning

Project managers are always learning. Whether it's a new system, methodology, process, or industry changes - as a project manager you will always be learning new information. If you like learning new things, and developing your skills project management might be a good avenue for you to explore.

“Being a Project Manager is like being an artist, you have the different colored process streams combining into a work of art” ~ Greg Cimmarrusti

Conclusion

Did you know that 47% of companies using project management software say it’s had a positive impact on the accuracy of project cost estimates according to Capterra? If you're ready to make the switch to Workast with our easy to use slack task management integration, we're here to help. Sign up today!

If you're looking to learn more about project management itself to get started, there are plenty of books and online courses available to get you started.

Do you have a career as a project manager or are you looking to switch careers? We'd love to hear your story and showcase your work on our blog. Send us a line or drop us a tweet for your chance to get featured.