Project managers are accomplished leaders who bring clarity and purpose to every project. They manage budgets, communicate with stakeholders, and guide projects to completion, ensuring quality and satisfaction at every step. This role demands a blend of analytical thinking and hands-on experience, which makes it ideal for those who enjoy exploring new approaches to achieving impactful results.
For those ready to step into this influential role, you can prepare to become a project manager by honing essential skills, gaining practical experience, and completing a project management training program that equips you to tackle real-world challenges with confidence.
What Does a Project Manager Do?
Project managers cover a broad range of duties, including task delegation, deadline enforcement, and stakeholder communication.
Delegating Tasks
Project managers create short- and long-term goals for their teams to accomplish throughout a project life cycle. They assess which team members can best support the project to achieve these set goals and delegate tasks accordingly.
Setting and Enforcing Deadlines
To ensure that projects are completed by the date that the company and clients have agreed upon, project managers outline clear project milestone deadlines to their teams. Project managers are responsible for monitoring the progress on these milestones and holding their teams accountable to target dates.
Communicating Between Stakeholders
Project managers also communicate project progress to stakeholders throughout the project. Clear and continual communication allows project managers to confirm that their teams’ project goals are aligned with the clients’ or stakeholders’ expectations.
How to Get Into a Project Manager Career
People who are interested in how to get into project management should note a few common education and experience requirements for the role. In addition to education and experience, specific professional certifications can help individuals become a project manager.
Education
Many project management positions require a bachelor’s degree, ideally in an area such as business or project management. Specialized and senior project management roles may require a master’s degree. Individuals with or without a business-related degree can enhance their skills by attending a project management-focused professional education program offered by a university.
Experience
While each job has specific experience requirements, project management roles commonly prefer managerial experience and familiarity with the specific industry. Common entry- and mid-level positions that build project management skills and can lead to a project manager position include the following:
- Project coordinator
- Associate project manager
- Junior project manager
- Operations associate
- Operations coordinator
- Budget analyst
- Communications coordinator
- Risk manager
Professional Certifications
Prospective and existing project managers can bolster their careers through certifications. The certified associate in project management (CAPM) and project management professional (PMP) certifications, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), are two popular credentials for individuals who want to become project managers.
CAPM Certification
The CAPM certification proves a candidate’s foundational knowledge and skills in project management. For the CAPM certification exam, candidates have 180 minutes to complete 150 questions.
Though no project management work experience is required to take the CAPM certification exam, candidates typically need to complete a project management training or exam preparation course prior to taking the exam to adequately prepare.
PMP Certification
The PMP certification showcases a candidate’s ability to manage projects and successfully fulfill project management duties. This credential is an industry-recognized certification that validates an individual’s project management expertise and commitment to the field.
The PMP certification exam consists of 180 questions; candidates are allotted 230 minutes to complete it. PMI requires that individuals have three to five years of professional project management experience before taking the exam. Candidates also typically need to complete a project management training or exam prep course prior to taking the exam.
Salary and Job Outlook for Project Managers
Exploring the salaries and job projections for project managers can provide guidance to those interested in how to become a project manager, helping them determine whether the position is right for them.
Project Manager Salary
Project managers work in a large number of fields, therefore, there is a wide range of annual salaries for project managers dependent on the industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salaries for project management specialists (by industry) in May 2023 were as follows:
- Construction: $91,940
- Administrative services: $94,280
- Manufacturing: $100,990
- Professional, scientific, and technical services: $103,610
- Finance and insurance: $107,070
Career Outlook for Project Managers
The BLS projects job growth for the role to increase by 7% between 2023 and 2033. Because project managers are needed by a wide range of industries, those interested in how to become a project manager are not beholden to any one area.
Prepare for Your Project Manager Career With Bryant University
With online options for a self-paced Project Management Certificate and an instructor-led Project Management Certificate, Bryant University helps individuals discover their path toward a successful career in project management. Both certificates help prepare individuals for PMP and CAPM certification exams and examine the role of a project manager in contemporary business settings, setting students up to succeed in the field.
Bryant’s online professional education programs equip individuals with the tools to overcome challenges and achieve their career aspirations. Whether starting fresh or building on existing experience, these certificates empower learners to tackle obstacles with determination and transform their ambitions into reality. With a focus on resilience and growth, Bryant inspires individuals to push boundaries and confidently pursue success in their chosen fields.
Find out how Bryant University’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs and professional certificate programs can accelerate your career today.