Plenty of Potential with Project Management

Some professions have been around for centuries; others, such as project management, are just now hitting their stride and gaining recognition.

"Project management, as a rule, is a function that manages house quality and speed to market," explains Cheryl Francis-Owens, the director of project management for McClain Finlon Advertising, an advertising agency in Denver, CO. With over 20 years of project management under her belt, Cheryl is now in charge of hiring and training new project managers for the company. Although, it's not a commonly integrated aspect in advertising agencies, McClain Finlon officials believe that it will become increasingly popular, opening up new jobs in the process.

"To find people who are experienced, seasoned project managers -- specifically in the advertising industry -- is hard to do," admits Cheryl. "There aren't a lot of folk with that experience."

In fact, project management credentials -- such as degrees and certificates in project management and project management training -- are only recent additions to the field. When Cheryl herself graduated from college there was no such thing as a project management degree; she instead worked her way into the industry with her experience in a college printing company and time spent at various management-level positions.

However, as project management positions increasingly require aptitude in certain areas -- such as experience with computers and project management software -- more and more employers are looking for job candidates who can demonstrate their knowledge and expertise. Although Cheryl looks for three to four years of professional experience when hiring junior-level project managers, she prefers senior-level project management candidates to have eight to 10 years experience in advertising or marketing. Candidates who have a master's certificate or PMP (Project Management Professional) designation in the field, meanwhile, are considered a plus. As project management becomes more distinguished from other fields, receiving the proper training and/or degree or certificate will likely give you a needed edge over other job applicants.

Despite this, Cheryl wants people to keep in mind that a career in project management will allow them to easily move from industry to industry. "You kind of become a really good generalist," explains Cheryl, which means that you pick up skills applicable to many areas and fields.

With project managers overseeing everything from the conception to the execution of business initiatives, they often find themselves doing a lot of legwork between different departments to ensure that everyone and everything is working properly and on-time towards the same objective ("You're never sitting still," says Cheryl). That's why Cheryl believes it takes a certain type of person to excel in such a versatile position. According to her, a project manager should be "an organized, detailed- and team-oriented person" with "the brain and wherewithal to understand the industry [they] are in."

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