What is the outlook for a project management career? We can start from these three questions -
The first question: How is the professionalism of "project management" reflected/recognized in China? To what extent does lack of expertise limit future job options?
Since there are many inter-professional practitioners who have switched to project management through self-study and research, and have achieved good results, even though the PMP certificate has provided professional proof for PM people, there are still many people who are interested in PM functions. Professionalism is questionable.
Although there is no unified standard for project management at this stage, the management effect is highly correlated with the practitioners' own ability and quality, and excellent teams cannot copy and paste. What does this mean? This means the scarcity of ability, isn't this the core competitiveness?
Personal team management ability, risk control and prevention ability, progress control ability, communication and coordination ability and leadership ability, ability to use scientific management tools...
Any one of these abilities, as long as they are cultivated deeply, will form their own management methods and core competitiveness, making themselves irreplaceable. Will they still worry about the non-transferability of work majors and the difficulty of cross-banking?
(Small tips: Excellence is a habit, what we have to do is to develop the habit, not to find which habit is better to develop.)
This article involves tools: http://s.fanruan.com/irhj8
If you are still not confident here, please continue to read:
In the 2020 new crown epidemic, the legend of "Vulcan Mountain" built in 10 days shocked the world. In addition to the spirit and strength of the Chinese people, scientific project management skills and methods also contributed to the creation of this miracle. This is the meaning of PM and value.
The second question: In order to maintain enthusiasm and improve professionalism, how can I enrich myself nutritiously in my spare time? Is it a reasonable choice to apply for the PMP exam?
Seeing this question, I went to a recruitment software to search for project management-related positions, and found that whether it is a project manager , a project management engineer , or a project management category, there is usually a sentence on the recruitment JD: "Have a PMP certificate Candidates are given priority" .
(Brief introduction to PMP: PMP refers to the qualification certification of project management professionals. It was initiated by the American Project Management Institute (PMI), and strictly evaluates whether the knowledge and skills of project management personnel have high-quality qualification certification exams.)
Of course, this is not to say that you must obtain a certificate to get a good opportunity, but even if you can't achieve "I have what others don't have", you must also achieve "I have what others have" . This is not following the trend, and research is only progress first step.
(Small tips: Look at job descriptions from time to time. These are all feedback from the market, which can help us find the direction of our efforts.)
Some people may ask: I did not take the PMP certificate, but the project management is still doing smoothly! (Don't slap, you are right)
Textual research is just a method, and the thinking behind it is the essence, which is what we call: lifelong learning
"The gap between people is really not the difference between EQ and IQ, but thinking." Carol Dweck divides people's thinking modes into two types: fixed thinking and growth thinking.
It may be abstract to say this, let’s do a small test: When you encounter a bottleneck period in project management work, and this bottleneck period will last for a long time without any progress, which of the following thoughts will you have?
The behavior and results of people with these two kinds of thinking will be completely different in the end:
At first glance at these two options, do you think that you will definitely not choose the first one, but in reality, when faced with these two kinds of thinking, many people are in the "I understand the truth, but once they are In that specific environment, you will still unconsciously choose the first " state.
So at this time we need to pull ourselves into a growth mindset, namely:
- Maintain lifelong learning and self-improvement;
- Believe in the various possibilities of "project management" and increase confidence;
- I believe that the industry of "project management" will continue to develop, and I will also continue to develop.
Don't forget, no one is waiting for you in this world, as long as you are not moving forward, you are going backward. Therefore, keeping learning is the only way for us to improve our competitiveness and not be eliminated by this society.
The third question: What is the prospect of "project management" in the Chinese workplace?
Let's look at two news first:
- In September 2021, the PMP exam has added a green project management section, and the proportion of agile management has also increased significantly.
- PMP will be updated at the end of 2022. The content of the new version is mainly about people, process and business management, which is more in line with the development trend of project management in the future, such as: agile management, people-oriented, co-creation, global virtualization, etc.
Therefore, whether it is PMP or project management, PMP will be updated with the development of project management. The future development prospect is very promising. As long as you are willing to persist and keep learning, you will definitely have different gains.
(Small tips: Certification exams, job descriptions, industry hotspots, and industry development reports are all the basis and weathervane to help us judge the current industry and our own position. Don’t just rely on your own guesses to see a job or even an industry. )
Attachment: Project Management Learning Materials
1. Knowledge enhancement category:
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)
"One Page Project Management"
"Don't know project management, dare to fight for the workplace"
"SCRUM Agile Project Management"
2. Interpersonal communication:
"Difficult Conversation"
"The Art of Thinking"
"Nonviolent Communication"
3. Project management aids
Jian Daoyun: http://s.fanruan.com/irhj8