I’m a bit concerned when I see veterans in the process of transitioning from the military to a civilian work life looking for a position in project management, but not be specific about the industry they would work in. A project is any group of tasks that have a specific start and end date, but requires experience gained in a specific industry. I manage the building of automated process equipment to make a variety of manufactured goods. I started as a draftsman, worked into a design engineer position, then obtained my first certification in manufacturing engineering. It was 19 years of working through the ranks before I stepped into the position of project manager. If I were looking for work I would never apply for a project management position for IT network development or building a building, a bridge, or a ship. The hiring manager would never hire me because I had not risen through the appropriate ranks of those industries to gain the knowledge necessary to guide people through the issues that always arise.

I am also troubled by the focus on the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification. I like certifications, in fact I have three of them, but keep in mind that successful projects have been managed for thousands of years before the advent of telephones, fax machines, MS project, and the PMI (Project Management Institute). Get the PMP if you wish, but don’t underestimate what you need after you land the position. Knowing the industry and your personal strengths and weaknesses in working through issues with your team must not be overlooked to manage consistently successful projects.

Charles Postma