Listed below are colleges and universities that offer online degrees or certificates in Project Management and a detailed list of the programs that are offered.
While most employees in a business are crunching the numbers to fit the company budget. There is one department that is counting the minutes instead. “Time is money,” is their moto and it can’t be wasted with the chaos of an office that lacks direction.
What is a Project Manager?
A project manager is responsible for the successful planning and completion of a project, as well as any surprises in between. They make sure there is a set plan for any given project so that time and resources are not wasted and handle any errors in the process. Not only that, but they divvy out tasks and manage a group throughout the projects development.
Eliminating and Simplifying
Good project managers look for loopholes in the process. They eliminate and simplify anything that is too complicated or wastes time. This means they are willing to cancel meetings and tasks that aren’t productive.
The Power of the Delegator
Many leaders have a problem learning to delegate and not micromanage employees. It can be stressful to be responsible for the outcome of a project, but you are wasting company resources if you don’t learn to utilize your team to the fullest and divvy out the load. Timothy Barry, consultant and project manager of 20 years said:
“Individuals who are unable to trust other people often fail as leaders and forever remain little more that micro-managers, or end up doing all of the work themselves. As one project management student put it, ‘A good leader is a little lazy.’”
Project managers have to learn to put trust into their team in order to get the job done. There is simply too much work in any one job for a project manager to do on their own if they want to meet deadlines. A good manager will:
- Build relationships with their team
- Realize their talents and skill-set
- Match tasks to talents and delegate to team members
- Trust team members and make them managers and owners of those tasks.
It’s amazing how people will step up to the plate if you just give them a shot! Great employees don’t need micromanaging and can be strong owners of the tasks they are given.
Outsourcing Projects
Project managers will have to trust companies to do projects that cannot be done in-house. Trusting experts in the field to handle inner business needs may be stressful, but on many tasks it is cheaper, faster, and a better option. Project managers must learn how to manage vendors and keep tabs on parts of projects that may be being produced by multiple companies in various locations.
Pros of the Job
Being the Boss: This career allows you to manage multiple projects from beginning to end. You are also the decision maker, so you won’t be the one taking orders. However, this means being a good communicator, leader, and visionary is critical.
Room to Learn: If you love problem solving and being a scientist of all trades this is a great job for you. Each task you handle will be different and requires someone who is willing to learn about the field and find ways to create an effective product.
Room to Grow: This career often has an excellent salary and many opportunities for advancement
New Opportunities: This job is needed across the board which gives you the opportunity to work in any field that interests you.
Things to Consider about Project Managing:
A Stressful and Demanding Job: Often times “expect the worse,” is an understatement in project management. Many things are susceptible to going wrong and will require you to clean up messes as you go. People who are easily stressed and can’t keep their emotions separate from their job, will struggle in this field.
Trusting People You Don’t know: If you are a perfectionist that can’t get away from micro-managing employees, you will have a hard time with this career. You will be asked to trust vendors, and employees to handle parts of your projects and will be taking the hit if anything goes wrong.
Taking responsibility: You will be the one handeling the consequences of the actions you delegate. These could be good.. but they could also be bad.
Work your way up: This job often requires working from the bottom of the food chain up. Many companies will promote from within to people who have “paid their dues” and proved themselves as forward thinking employees.
One Last Word
Project management is a great career for the proactive leader. Not only will you get to manage teams and projects, but you will be learning new things everyday.
If you are interested in earning a Project Management degree, click here to request more information.
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