project managers - how did you get started?

[micegg]

Any project managers out there? Would you mind telling me what sort of area you work in, what you do and how you got into it. I have a science background where my job involves alot of organising and planning work including my own work load. I really need to change careers and have been thinking about prject management but don't know where to start. For exmaple, what sort of jobs to look for to get my foot in the door and what quakifications you need. I know about PRINCE training but it seems this is best done when you have some experience.Thanks.

Excuse typos. I was feeding 4 week old DS!

Im in Project Management. I moved from Sales and Marketing into PM, but I went contracting first. I started off as a Project administrator, then took over Managing projects. My next assignments were then actually as Project Managers.

ITs easy peasy, accept there is loads of beaureacratic reports to write. The paperwork bottle necks you actually getting on and Project Managing, oh and the meetings!!!!!!!!

But I enjoy it. I want to be PRINCE qualified one day.... but whilst my LO's are so young and my brain is mush... I'll wait a bit longer.

good luck

DH does project management, kind of. He works in the public sector and started off in a general kind of 'assistant' role, was gradually given more responsibility for different aspects of projects. Then moved jobs to a more formal management position where he took his PRINCE exams. From looking at the content of PRINCE, it is just so much rote-learning gobbledygook without the experience behind it.

I did a number of project coordinator contracts in my field first, then did training.

I started off in Engineering and sort of drifted into Project Management and then drifted futher into Sales Management and shouting at Project Managers...I think unless you want to be in the public sector MS Project is much more useful then PRINCE and a good dose of common sense is absolutely essential. Obviously some industries like Civil Engineering need you to understand a bit about what the project is to do but I wouldn't say that's critical in all industries

Thanks everyone that is great. I am on mat leave at the moment so dont need to look for a job right now but will be doing so at the end of the year. What sort of projects do you all manage? DH works in banking IT so I have an idea of what he does but not much idea of other sectors. I work in the public sector at the moment and have alot of dealings with the police as part of my job so I could perhaps follow something in that direction. Do you all work FT? Are there many PT jobs available?

OK. I thought that may be the case. I think my best bet is to look for project based part time jobs whilst the DCs are young by which time I should have some experience to get a FT project management job.

Hi - I'm PRINCE2 qualified but work in what's called a Programme Parter capacity. Basically, rather than managing projects myself, I oversee what the Project Managers do, make sure they follow the appropriate governance and escalate any risks or issues as required. I work in partnership with the projects, senior management and our central governance area and am happy to roll my sleeves up and get directly involved in projects if required.

I really like my job. There's some bureaucracy involved but I have a lot of flexibility and variety - no two days are ever the same.

In terms of how I got here, I also started as a project administrator and worked my way up through various roles in various organisations. Experience that has stood me in good stead has been the customer services training I received in retail banking, the organisational stuff I did when I worked as an Exec Assistant a few years ago, the financial services experience I've had in various market sectors (I've worked for all kinds of FS types and currently am in Wealth Management) and the hands-on project work I've done. I've been lucky enough to have work on some huge programmes, which has been invaluable and really interesting.

Good luck - it's a good field to be in.

What sort of hours do you all work? Kerrymum says they are long hours is this the norm?

Thanks everyone. I think local government might be a good start. I really want something that is close to home with the possibility of flexible working which I guess is more likely with the public sector. Thanks once again for all your input.

Don't be put off Micegg. I am PM in local government, and due to the flexible working policies here, applied for and was appointed in the post as a job-share, with another colleague (we were both temping for a few months beforehand, and I also I also worked in the same organisation as a PM before my 7 years as a SAHM, which helped as we were a 'known quantity') In order to make it work, I have a mobile phone and access to email, files etc from home, and undertook to be available every day 'within reason', whilst not in the office.

Re PRINCE - i haven't undergone formal training, but we do use the methodology and documentation, and MS Project is an very useful too.

PM is just another job title really - It's a good role if you relish getting things done and don't mind all the bureaucracy that inevitably goes with it. Most roles involve an element of project management, it's just not necessarily called that.

What Chippy said!