By Mel Beasley, CSB Marketing Assistant
We all know projects are usually temporary; they have set beginnings and ends. Many company projects are unique from each other and team members from different departments or organizations come together to complete the project. It takes a special sort of leader to head up company special projects because she has to lead a team of people who have never worked together before. Project managers have to be planners, initiators and excellent communicators.
“Project management is the practice of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time” (Wiki). The skills project managers hold are invaluable to employers with the need growing exponentially over the next six years. “Should the Bureau's projections for job growth in the field prove accurate, then there could be a job change of as much as 505,000 new project managers within the next seven years,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Since company projects can vary and often require a diverse staff, project managers need to be flexible. If you’re the kind of person who easily adapts to changes in your current workplace, you have excellent communication skills, you know how to delegate tasks, and you can solve complicated problems then project manager might be a great match.
Not only are positions expected to skyrocket but the salaries of some project management positions range higher than $100k per year. “The average Project Manager…salary in the United States is $72,345 as of December 01, 2018, but the range typically falls between $63,291 and $84,377,” according to Salary.com. However, according to 93,412 anonymous salary submissions by project managers, the salary averages over $90k and can reach up to $134k per year (Glassdoor).
Project Management has become critical in the success and competitiveness of public and private sector companies. Enterprises achieve their goals through projects and effective project management. In addition, the increasing complexity of work and demands for "more with less" place special demands on the project manager and need for a project-based approach.
If you’re interested in learning more about project management and would like to get certified, the UNCW Swain Center is offering its Project Management Certificate Course starting January 10. This very popular course runs bi-weekly in the evenings and focuses on project leadership, communication, team building, conflict resolution, negotiation, cost & budget, measuring performance, and change management.
Completing this program will also provide continuing education credits for select organizations and counts towards the Project Management Professional® certification exam requirements by the Project Management Institute.
