More and more companies today are creating projects to perform work. Hence, the demand for project managers is high and will continue to grow well into to the future.

There is a six-sigma approach called crossing the river that is aimed at getting from the near shore (your current state) to the far shore (your future vision). I suggest that you consider using it to get a project managers job. This article explains how to cross the river to reach your goal.

My example presented in this article emphasizes that this approach applies to any profession.

Near Shore

This is your current state. For example, if you have an undergraduate degree from a good culinary school including experience in the restaurant business and you want to get into project management then this approach will help you get there. It is important for you to understand your current status and be motivated to become a project manager.

Far Shore

This is your future vision. Defining your vision can be difficult. In this article, the vision is to be a project manager. Seems like a lofty goal to go from a culinary background to a project manager. You can do it by crossing the river to the far shore.

Crossing The River

How can I cross the river? What action plan do I need to get to the far shore?  This is where the hard work comes in.  The basic steps are:

1. Select the industry you would like to work in that requires project managers. Let’s assume you want to work in the energy industry. It is a growing industry with a lot of opportunities.
2. Find an entry level job in an energy company where there is a career path to a project managers position.
3. You need some relevant education. If you have an undergraduate degree, that is great. But if you do not, I suggest taking online project management certification programs. Google, Microsoft and many colleges and university offer these or similar certification programs. Typically, they are not expensive and can run from 3 months to 12 months. These certificates will help you get an entry level project related job.
4. The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers a Certified Associate Project Management (CAPM) certificate. You will need a high school diploma, general education development test (GED), associate’s degree, or higher, along with either 1,500 hours of project management experience or 23 hours of project management education/training (which you can get online) to be eligible to take the certification test. The CAPM certificate will help you get an entry level project related job.
5. The certifications described above will help you get an entry job in a company. If you want to work in the energy sector, do not worry if you cannot find an entry level position in an energy company. Keep in mind the principles of project management apply to all industries. The important thing is you get project experience and then it is easier to move into the industry you want.
6. Now that you are in an entry level project job, keep in mind you will need patience and time to complete crossing the river to the far shore. This means continuing your education, executing your assignments, working hard and looking for an opportunity. Opportunity knocks at your door maybe once or twice. Some companies are very slow to hand out promotions. In this case, make your opportunities by changing companies. I have found that sometimes you can get a project managers job faster in a small company rather than a large one. Once you have the title, no one can take it away from you.
7. Another consideration to keep in mind to enhance your career is getting a PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate. To be eligible to take the certificate exam, you will need a 4-year degree, 36 months leading projects, and 35 hours project management education/trading or a CAPM certification. Another path to be eligible to take the certificate test requires a high school diploma or an associate’s degree (or global equivalent), 60 months leading projects and 35 hours of project management education/training or a CAPM certificate.

Your action plan ought to be tailored to you and based on these 7 basic steps.

Crossing The River Story

I based this article on a friend of my granddaughter. His name is Sean and he is 29 years old. This is his story. After graduating from a very good culinary school in New York and working for several restaurants over a period of time, he decided that the hours a chef has to put to be successful is not compatible with raising a family. He decided to get into the energy field and landed an entry level job in a local power company. I advised him to consider a project managers career. I had checked previous to our discussion and confirmed that his company has a lot of project manager job openings. I gave Sean a copy of my book How to Get a Project Managers Job. He said he would read it and get together with me later to answer any question he might have.

I discovered Sean has property that he owns and is renting. He wants to purchase more over the years as an investment. I found Sean to ambitious, motivated, and driven to succeed in his new career. I am confident he will reach his goal.

Summary

I have crossed many rivers during my career to solve problems. It will work for you also to solve your problem-how do I get a project managers job in an industry I desire? The easy part is defining your current state. The hard part is to define your vision. Coming up with an action plan requires a lot of work but is made easier once the 2 river banks have been defined. I like the far shore vision to be 5 years out because it is easier to define it. But it can be 10 years if you want.

Like Sean, you need to be motivated, determined, and ambitious to reach your goal. It will take time so be patient and eventually you will get there.

Bio:

Currently John Ayers is an author, writer, and consultant. He authored a book entitled Project Risk Management. It went on sale on Amazon in August 2019. He authored a second book entitled How to Get a Project Management Job: Future of Work.  It is on sale on Amazon. The first is a text book that includes all of the technical information you will need to become a Project Manager (PM). The second book shows you how to get a PM job. Between the two, you have the secret sauce to succeed. There are links to both books on his website. https://projectriskmanagement.info/He has presented numerous Webinars on project risk management to PMI. He writes columns on project risk management for CERM (certified enterprise risk management). John also writes blogs for Association for Project Management (APM) in the UK. He has conducted a podcast on project risk management.  John has published numerous papers on project risk management and project management on LinkedIn.

John earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Engineering Management from Northeastern University. He has extensive experience with commercial and U.S. DOD companies. He is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI. John has managed numerous large high technical development programs worth in excessive of $100M. He has extensive subcontract management experience domestically and foreign.  John has held a number of positions over his career including: Director of Programs; Director of Operations; Program Manager; Project Engineer; Engineering Manager; and Design Engineer.  He has experience with: design; manufacturing; test; integration; subcontract management; contracts; project management; risk management; and quality control.  John is a certified six sigma specialist, and certified to level 2 Earned Value Management (EVM).

Go to his website above to find links to his books on Amazon and dozens of articles he has written on project and project risk management.