Turn Leadership and Organization into a Project Management Career

With today’s recovering economy there is more pressure than ever for departments of companies to deliver projects on time and on budget. Luckily, there are professionals who have attended project management institutes and specialize in ensuring that happens. Many new and exciting careers are emerging in this growing field as project managers take the lead on ensuring projects are successfully completed.

So how do you know if you’re well suited to enter the field of project management? There are a few skills that can clarify. First and foremost, planning and organization are a large part of the job. Project managers must be able to keep a multitude to information organized to ensure that they are covering every aspect of the project on which they are working. In addition, these professionals also must have problem solving and critical thinking skills, as they must stay on top of every challenge that comes up and every employee working on the project. However, leading a project also means being a part of the team, not just being a leader. The person must have interpersonal skills that will help the make the environment less stressful.

If these skills sound like ones you currently possess or have an interest in attaining, an option is to attend Centennial College’s project management institute, which is actually a three-year Graduate Certificate program. In order to apply for this Centennial College program, students must submit an official transcript demonstrating proof of successful completion of a post-secondary advanced diploma or degree program. The School will consider applicants presenting a combination of education and relevant work experience, open to all disciplines. Non-academic requirements include: interview, transcript and resume review.

The undertaking is a great launching board as it offers a 12-week internship at an organization where students will work along experienced project managers to gain insight. In addition, students obtain practical practice through the use of integration of technology tools, such as Microsoft Project, and case studies. These approaches are used to enhance Centennial College’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBK) methodology, which proves to be a solid way of equipping specialists with the skills that are needed to manage projects in a timely and cost effective manner. Because of the variety of courses, the Project Management program is suitable for college or university students who wish to increase their employability. It is also great for experienced project managers seeking to bring new skills to their resume.

Upon graduation from the project management institute, students find jobs in are wide variety of industries, including transportation, marketing, construction, health, new media, education, advertising, engineering, finance and more. The majority of the work is performed with large companies that have specialized professionals of all aspects of business. So what exactly do project managers do? First and foremost, at the beginning of a project, they determine the scope, the goals and the deliverables. They then come up with a plan to attain the goals and assemble the team that will execute the project, while at the same time managing the budget. As the project gets started, the project managers set deadlines and provide direction to the team. In addition, they track deliverables and present reports to the executives that outline project progress, problems and solutions. After the project is completed, Project Managers assess the results.