9 Great Reasons to Choose a Project Management Career

A friend recently said to me that project management seems dreadfully dull.

She’s not a project manager, by the way.

So why would someone choose a career in project management?

I’ll tell you…because it’s got a lot going for it. There are many reasons why it’s an awesome career choice.

And it’s NOT dull. Far from it.

It’s getting more attention in recent years. But maybe you’re not quite sure if it would be a good fit.

Or you may not yet know much about project management at this point.

If so, don’t feel left out. I’ve been a project manager for 15 years but at first, I didn’t even know I wanted to be one.

When I graduated from high school, and then from college, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I felt like everyone else had a good grasp on the jobs and careers they wanted, and I was just floating along. I wanted something challenging that allowed me to be part of a bigger team, but none of the traditional jobs sounded appealing. I had friends going into law, business, counseling, dentistry, and one college friend who was a race car driver.

But this was before project management became a more well-known and established career choice. So I’m happy that I eventually – and by chance – came around to it.

And now project management is more solidly established in our work culture, with classes, degrees, and certifications available.

But if you’re not clear whether a project management career is right for you, I can give you many reasons to consider it.

I’m a raving fan, so I’m going to give you a list of reasons why I think it’s an awesome career. I’m completely biased. I feel like I won the career lottery. I still love my job all these years later.

Consider these reasons why a project management career is such a great choice.

Why Choose a Project Management Career

1. Great career outlook.

There’s evidence there will be a big need for project manages over the next decade. This study by

Anderson Economic Group shows strong project management job growth through 2027. “On an annualized basis, employers will need to fill nearly 2.2 million new project-oriented roles each year through 2027.”

2. Great pay. 

According to Glassdoor, the national average salary for project managers is $80,854 per year. And since that’s the average, of course, you could earn even more. This post offers much more information on project manager salaries.

3. Meaningful work.

Project managers collaborate with teams to build solutions that solve problems. You can build things that make people’s lives better and change the world through what you create.

And if you’re working for a company you truly love and want to be a part of their overall success, project management helps ensure that the company delivers value. This helps contribute to overall organizational success.

Project managers collaborate with teams to build solutions that solve problems. You can build things that make people’s lives better and change the world through what you create.

4. Continued opportunities to learn.

Because projects can vary so much, you’ll continue to be challenged with opportunities to grow. If you’re in technology, for example, new and emerging technologies present constant chances to learn.

Project management offers continual opportunities to learn and grow. This makes it a great career for those who love to be challenged.

5. Work in many industries.

Project managers are used in IT, healthcare, entertainment, the food and beverage industry, aerospace, and many more industries.

That same AEG study referenced above found future project management career growth in the following sectors: healthcare, manufacturing, information services and publishing, finance and insurance, management and professional services, utilities, and oil and gas. I even know a project manager who uses his skills in his church.

6. Can be done remotely.

As a project manager, you need to be able to communicate with your team. But this doesn’t mean you actually need to be sitting with your team in the same room. It’s possible to work with distributed teams. Technology allows teams to work remotely more and more, and it’s becoming more common.

7. Use many different skills.

Project managers must rely on many different skill sets to be successful. You not only need to know frameworks and methodologies, but also many soft skills such as communication and diplomacy. There’s always more to learn and skills to strengthen.

8. Great career path with upward mobility.

Working in a project manager role gives you skills and expertise that prepare you for many other positions later in your career. This post on the Project Manager Career Ladder explains many other career opportunities that project management prepares you for. Product Manager, Chief Operating Officer, and even entrepreneur are a few that are listed. Even if you love project management and want to stay in that role for many years, you can move into a Senior Project Manager role and take on more complex projects.

9. It’s never boring.

Project management by its nature means that you’ll work on projects – and projects have a definite ending. So once a project ends, you get to start another one. You get to see something to completion and then move on to another project.

Even if you work in an environment where you’re doing the same type of project, there will be variables among them. It may be a different customer with different needs and personalities or different risks to consider, but there will be variance among your projects. Or you may work in an environment with wildly different projects.

If you’d like to see my daughter help me explain why project management is a perfect career, check out the video she helped me with!

I’ll be launching the course soon. If you haven’t already, sign up to my list to get notified when the course goes live!

Now a Question for You…

Would you be willing to complete a short survey about your career?

It would help me better serve you and others, and I’d be doing a big happy dance if you would!

Here’s the link to the survey:

Project Management Career Survey