Job Responsibilities
Primary responsibility is for the successful delivery of IT
projects. This requires several different skillsets that vary
throughout the lifecycle of a project. Initially, and most
importantly, is the ability to establish rapport with business
users. Facilitation and negotiation skills are very important in
order to establish project scope. Analytical and problem solving
skills are important in developing solutions and alternative
options. Ability to work well with resources on the project and
management of operational and crisis situations is important.
PM's prepare project plans, host meetings, present progress
updates, rally the working teams, manage user expectations, and
measure quality of projects.
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Job Requirements
Education requirements traditionally center around those with a
BA in computer science. However, those who have worked in good
companies, especially in large projects, do not require formal
comp sci degrees. To rise out of the programming group, it is
extremely crucial to understand business. A possible career path
is to move into a business analysis role, then into a project
manager role. The difficulty for those moving away from
programming is that tasks and expectations change. Soft skills
in listening, articulating, facilitating, negotiating, and seeing
the other's point of view become key. Ability to be liked and
trusted and respected are very important.
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Uppers
Businesses have problems. Projects are put into place to solve them. At the
completion, it is possible to see the fruits of your labor. Also, no problem is
ever exactly the same, so there are few repetitive and redundant tasks.
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Downers
Working and negotiating with business people are not always
easy. Especially if there is a difficult personality involved,
reaching agreements and solutions can be difficult.
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Lifestyle
Job outlook is very good if you can be flexible and have good
client interfacing skills. Understanding technology well can
help you gain respect from both programmers and the business
side. However, it is only part of the equation and you must
always strive to think and behave as a part of the business
operation. Technology only becomes more complex over time, the
demand for those who can bridge the gap is high. With the aging
baby boomer retirements coming in a few years, it is likely to be
a good position to be in.
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Compensation
Base salaries vary on industry. Financial services are renowned
for high-paying positions, but it is also high pressure and
involved with type-A trading personalities. Other industries are
more calm, but you have less exposure to leading edge technology
and complexity. IT is still considered a cost center and bonuses
are not always great. If it is money you are interested in,
joining the support side of a corporation is not necessarily
compatible.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Job outlook is very good if you can be flexible and have good
client interfacing skills. Understanding technology well can
help you gain respect from both programmers and the business
side. However, it is only part of the equation and you must
always strive to think and behave as a part of the business
operation. Technology only becomes more complex over time, the
demand for those who can bridge the gap is high. With the aging
baby boomer retirements coming in a few years, it is likely to be
a good position to be in.
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