Project Management Careers and Career Paths

Steps to Become a Project Manager

You may be in a postsecondary education program, taking the classes you need so you can move into this career field. Or you may have earned your bachelor’s (and, possibly, your master’s) in a different field. After working for your employer, you might realize that project management is a potential new career for you.

Project managers are highly organized; they adapt easily, and they have excellent communication skills. Using these skills and more, you have the chance to work in project management.

Step 1: Find Your Program

Before you begin the admissions process, you’ll have to investigate the different universities and colleges in which you are interested. Depending on the field you intend to work in, such as engineering, IT, healthcare, or business, you should explore those majors in the undergraduate catalogs you are reading. You’ll find the program that will allow you to meet your project management career path and goals.

Once you have chosen at least one university and major, research the admission requirements. These are generally graduation from high school or earning your GED, even if you were homeschooled. Once you know that you have met admissions requirements for the college you’re most interested in, you can begin the admission process. Gather and submit all required paperwork to the university admissions office, including taking and receiving your grades for any required standardized tests, so you can learn whether you’ve been accepted or not.

Step 2: Plan for Your Major

Once you have been accepted to a college or university, enroll for your first semester’s classes. At some point early in your college career, you’ll need to visit your advisor and determine which classes you should take each semester. Your advisor will be able to tell you what classes you need to take in a given semester, so that you complete required prerequisites before beginning core courses.

As you are taking your classes, keep in mind the degree requirements for your project management bachelor’s degree. You’ll have to take seminars and classes that will help you to achieve success, starting with your general education classes, such as history, math, English, composition, and your required sciences. Each class, general education or core, will allow you to build a foundation for your major in project management.

Step 3: Get Some Experience

While you are in your project management degree program, make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for internships. Internships, whether paid or unpaid, will give you the hands-on practice that you need before you enter your first job in project management. Even if your internship isn’t in project management, experience in business, IT, or whatever field you’re looking to enter will be vital to your future success.

You will be expected to look to your mentor/supervisor in your internship. Be ready to watch other project managers and supervisors to learn how they make decisions and delegate tasks. When you observe them taking positive steps to move a project to completion, emulate them. When you see someone making mistakes, make note so that you can avoid those errors in the future. Using your education, apply the methods you learn and use the ethics you were taught as you make decisions.

In your college classes, you’ll learn about organizational environment, systems, change, and design, all of which are a part of managing assigned projects.

Step 4: Finish Your Degree on Time

In your junior year, verify that you are meeting the degree requirements at your college or university. Visit your advisor and request paperwork that allows you to see if you have completed all general education requirements and core class requirements. Ask to see what your grade point average (GPA) is, both for your major and cumulatively, and see if there’s anything you can do to bring that average up.

Students who believe they are about to graduate may find that they have credit deficiencies in their degree requirements. This can force you to delay graduation so you can take the missing classes or re-take them so you can pass them. To keep this from happening, make sure to visit your advisor or a specialist who focuses on tracking graduation requirements for students consistently throughout your college career. Request a degree audit so you can correct any deficiencies you may have in your own required classes.