Becoming an IT project manager allows you to combine your technical expertise with your leadership skills. Tasks such as completing technology projects on time, within the set budget, and with the needed level of quality will all be your responsibility, so you must work hard to achieve this level of expertise and knowledge to lead such intricate jobs. As an ideal candidate for this position, you need to be familiar with business processes and have strong management and technical skills. So, let’s check out in more detail what it really takes to become an IT project manager.
What are your duties?
Before starting your road toward becoming an IT project manager, you first need to understand what it really means. IT project managers must plan, execute, and supervise projects to make sure they are successful, cost-effective, and timely. They come up with project goals, efficiently distribute resources they have, like team, moment, and technology, and handle the risks by identifying possible problems and suggesting solutions for them. As an IT project manager, you will need to work on your communication skills, as positive rapport and atmosphere in the workplace is important for making the project a success. You’ll also need to make sure everything is of high-quality, and that the organization is exceptional. So, work on these responsibilities and make sure you respect what is your task if you want to be a successful project manager.
Education
Usually, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree in business administration, computer science, or IT if you want to pursue a career as an IT project manager. Thanks to these degrees, you will be able to understand the practical uses of technology and have a solid technical grounding. If you want to further hone your skills, consider a technology management graduate online certificate where you can learn contemporary technology foundations and build upon your technical skills and knowledge. What is more, you can also pursue an MBA focusing on IT management or other relevant postgraduate programs. These degrees and certifications will set you apart from other candidates and prove that you have everything that it takes to excel in this profession. The rest is up to you, and the way you decide to pave the way to being a successful IT project manager.
Experience
As with any higher position in any firm, the most important thing that you need to have is experience. It is so sought after because you need to know how to deal with certain types of problems. If they were to employ a novice, they would employ someone who has to learn everything. You can be the best in many fields but a person who has more experience than you is most likely better at being an IT project manager. Managers have to manage people and it is almost impossible to do a good job if you do not have the experience. Since you will have to have experience to become an IT project manager, we would advise you to start off at some lower IT positions. You can be an IT support, software developer, or anything similar. Also, it would be great if you had a job as a manager somewhere because it is well-known that management skills are almost the same in every industry, and if you worked as a manager, that could do you good when seeking this position. Another great way to gain experience is to work on projects. Every project that you have been working on where you had to use IT or management skills is great. Even if you managed a project where you made a video game, you can use it in your bio.
Develop your skills
It is a priority in life that you never stop developing the skills you have. You may think that the skill you have won’t ever go away but you would be wrong. Something that you know now can completely disappear if you do not work on it. If you want to become a good IT project manager, you will have to put in the work. All the skills that have to do with your desired position, you will need to practice and try to improve. There are always creative and fun ways you can improve them but you will have to find those activities because they need to be fun for you.
Networking
One of the best ways to keep improving in the fields that you want to is to get friends who would love to do that as well. These people that you want to put around yourself need to be either on the same learning curve as you or already accomplished in those fields. The most important thing that you should get out of them is their experience. Talk with them about their jobs and how it feels to work in such positions. We would advise you not to talk with people you do not like since you do not want someone to completely demotivate you. Some people simply love to talk only about the negatives, and they are experts, to make you lose interest in anything. So if the person will bring you more harm than good, then do not get close to them.
Keep up with innovations
Technology is moving at a ridiculous pace, it seems like every month some new revelation is brought to the world that can completely change the landscape we live in. You want to keep up with these trends and know about them as much as you can. You have to understand that knowledge is key, and when you are already prepared for some changes in the world then you are ahead of most people in the world and you need to use this situation you are in.
Education, experience, practice, working on your communication skills, and networking are all important aspects of becoming a successful IT project manager. Of course, every occupation needs continuous learning and improvement, especially modern ones, so make sure you follow the latest trends and stay competitive in your field.