Project management is a crucial role for organizations of all types. No matter the kind of work--whether it's a multinational company or a small proprietor owned business, every organization has projects that need to be managed efficiently. 'Project Manager’ is an impressive designation for these reasons.  

As expected, there are some key skills across the board that you'll need to land a job in this field. So, in this article, we're going to cover project management skills—but first, let's talk about what Project Managers actually do.

Launch Your Project Management Career

An online project management course aimed at helping you launch a career. One-on-one mentorship, professional guidance, and a robust community network are on hand to help you succeed in Project Management.



Skills You Need to Succeed As A Project Manager

You have a few options to start down the path of becoming a Project Manager. Some Project Managers need traditional degrees and expert knowledge of the field, while others may have a specialized diploma and general managerial qualifications. You can even land high-paying jobs after taking bootcamps or online courses.

The bottom line is that there's no specific set of qualifications that are absolutely necessary for project management, although education from a reputable source comes in handy.

Even though there aren't strict requirements on where you learn project management skills, there are common skills you should be aware of to enter the field. Soft skills are what you would call people skills; these include communication, listening, and other interpersonal skills. These soft skills must complement any candidates' hard skills--which are their knowledge and occupational skills.

The ideal Project Manager has a good mix of both hard and soft skills, with a sprinkle of humor to alleviate the stress of the role. While a sense of humor is rather subjective, the other important qualities can be learned, observed, absorbed, and tried.

Here's a list of seven skills required to succeed as a Project Manager.

Become A Professional Project Manager

As we mentioned earlier, there are quite a few routes to go down in terms of project management education. It can be hard to determine which way to go, so we'll give you some guidance. It all depends on where you currently are in life. For example, if you're already working in an industry you love, and you want to switch over into project management within your current company, the first step is to talk to your higher ups about it. You’ll want to determine if it's a possibility in that company, and if so, which steps they'd want you to take.

If college isn't really your thing, and you want to go down a less expensive and faster path, then you'd be a better fit for a bootcamp. Our Technical Project Management Bootcamp at Thinkful 'is designed to get you hired within 6 months of completing the program. You also have access to a 1-on-1 mentor, which is super unique and helpful.  

Whichever path you take, keep the skills in this article in mind. As long as you've got the right knowledge base and a willingness to persevere through the tough challenges that come with project management, you'll do great. We hope you've found this article helpful, and if you'd like more information about career paths you can also check out our YouTube.

FAQs

Can I learn Technical Project Management skills on my own?

Yes, you can. To learn Technical Project Management skills, obtain a couple of good, basic Technical Project Management references that you can revisit frequently. Do some broad study to get an overview of technical project management and informally evaluate your own or your organization’s current practices.

What type of projects would I work on as a Technical Project Manager?

Types of projects you will be working on as a Technical Project Manager include civil engineering projects, construction projects and manufacturing projects. Examples of the above include developing new products or services, constructing roads or buildings and manufacturing vehicles or gadgets.

Does Thinkful teach these skills?

Yes! With our Technical Project Management Bootcamp you’ll learn the skills Technical Project Managers actually use on a daily basis, like establishing timelines, anticipating challenges, and keeping teams on track from development to delivery. This skill-based curriculum teaches how to take broad company goals and break them down into small tasks with short deadlines and achievable milestones.

Launch Your Project Management Career

An online project management course aimed at helping you launch a career. One-on-one mentorship, professional guidance, and a robust community network are on hand to help you succeed in Project Management.



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