The Pros of being a project manager!
I’m going to talk about why I love being a project manager and my favorite things about the role. This is all my personal opinion, however, I’m sure many project managers would agree. Let’s dive in.
It’s not boring
Project management is many things, but it’s not boring! Yes, I’m sure there are more exciting jobs but for an office role, it’s pretty cool. By definition, every project is unique and comes with it’s own unique challenges. With each project, you usually get to work with new people and go through a journey together, sometimes making new friends along the way. I really enjoy the unpredictability of project issues and solving them with my team, using my brain, often in a fast pace and high pressure environment. When you solve these problems in tough conditions while everyone is watching, the reward is great. You and your team get to feel like heroes. When you finally deliver your project, especially when it’s been a huge challenge, it feels amazing. That’s why project management is interesting. The only time I have found a project boring is when it has been too easy.
The team spirit
Being a project manager is not a lonely job. You will find yourself spending most of your time with other people, especially your team. If you do it right, you can create a great team spirit with which you experience a shared sense of ownership and responsibly for the project. You all have purpose and strive towards the same vision. You will all feel part of something. You go through the project together from beginning to end, through bad times and good, and share in the defeats and victories. It can sometimes be a little sad when you get to the end of a big project and you have to part ways with your team.
It forces you to grow
Taking on the responsibility of delivering a project, and then actually delivering it, is really quite something. It’s not to be sneezed at. I think it’s something that everyone should experience. I’m talking about real project management here, not just project monitoring. Real project management is when you make it your personal responsibility to get the project delivered. You truly care. When you truly care (especially in a fast pace and high pressure environment) it can bring out the best in you. It forces you to get out of your comfort zone, to problem solve, to be resourceful and to think tactically and strategically. It forces you to learn to work under pressure, to lead, to influence, to be assertive and not to give up.
When I compare myself to the person I was when I first dipped my toe into the project world, I can see a huge difference. Part of who I am has been forged in the fire of those tough projects. And I’m really glad I did it. I shudder to think about all the growth I would have missed out on if I had chosen a comfortable job.
You don’t have to do any ‘work’
When I say you don’t have to do any work, I don’t mean you don’t have to work hard! What I mean is that most of the ‘real world’ work that needs to be done to deliver the project, won’t be done by you. You will be asking other people to do the work. Granted, there are a few thing you will need to do (e.g. the project plan, status reporting etc) but the project building blocks will be completed by your team. Even things like general admin can be delegated to an assistant (if you have the budget for one). I’m happy with this, because I’m not suited to sitting down and working on one thing all day (e.g. writing a requirements document or coding an application). I would get bored. I much prefer running meetings, facilitating, strategising, problem solving, pushing things forward, talking to people etc.
I’d you would like to know more about the work you would need to do as a project manager. Please check out my article below;
https://projectmanaverse.com/2022/02/08/the-role-and-responsibilities-of-a-project-manager/
You’re in charge
As a project manager, you are in charge. You are in charge of the resources, the budget, the plan, and your time. People respect you, they listen to you, and (for the most part) cooperate with you. As a project manager, your authority doesn’t come from your ‘rank’ in the company. It comes from your role as the project manager. You may have people in your team that are higher up in the company, but they still report into you. You’ll interact with some senior folk, such as Heads Of Departments or even Directors. They will have an interest in the project and you will be the person they come to because you know the project better than anyone.
As a project manager, you usually find that you are left to your own devices, and you won’t be bothered by a ‘boss’. You will be given a project to deliver and be left alone to get on with it. It’s up to you how you deliver your project and how you spend your time. No one will be checking up on you. Of course, that is only true if you are delivering! If you do a terrible job then you will likely have someone start breathing down your neck!
High Impact
It’s often the case that the project you are delivering will impact people, sometimes a lot of people. For example, you are upgrading a system that is used by hundreds of people in the company. Or maybe you are releasing a new app that will be used by thousands, perhaps millions of customers. I love that. I love that I get to deliver and spearhead a project that will impact so many people. It feels like my work and role mean something, like I am doing something significant.
It’s a job for life
The world is constantly changing. Every year we hear of new ideas, services, products, innovations and grand visions. The world continues to evolve and the rate of change continues to increase. How does that change get implemented? Through projects. As long as there is intentional change that needs to be implemented in a controlled manner, there is a need for projects. As long as there is a need for projects, there is a need for project managers.
The way change is delivered may be dynamic (e.g. Waterfall projects, Agile, Virtual working) but at the end of the day, if you want a project delivered, you need a project manager. You need someone to drive the project forward.
The project manager will not be going away any time soon. Even AI doesn’t worry me, because project management is a people job, it requires EQ, not just cold intellect.
The money is decent
You can make decent money as a project manager. The average project manager salary in the UK is c46k pounds (62k dollars). If you work for a large company you would usually get benefits and bonus on top of that too. That’s the average, so you can earn more if you’re good enough. Back just a few years ago (before the IR35 tax legislation came along) you could earn as much as 100k pounds a year from project management if you contracted. Unfortunately, those golden years are over (at least in the UK). Regardless, you can still earn a more than respectable salary as a project manager. The more experienced and skilled you are, the more you can earn.
Those are all the key things I love about project management. I hope you enjoyed reading, please feel free to comment or ask questions!
Project Manaverse 