Project Management Career - Is it Right For Me? (Let's be Real)

Great video, helped me with my career choice!

Wooow. I clicked on the video with the thoughts "well, maybe i'll watch and realise that it's not for me" but surprisingly it seems like PM is 100% for me! I'm so happy :D I'm in the process of finding out that all the staff i didn't enjoy in my previous jobs i would probably find in PM career and this feels like I'm 16 again and after enrolling in university i felt like i finally found out my passion (this was psychology for me). This video gave me encouragment and inspiration. Wish me luck, i'm enrolling for my first PM course this month :)

I’m at the very beginning of my CAPM Learning. This was great insight for what Im preparing to pivot towards.

I want to switch to Project Management because I like the beginning and END of things. The ongoing concern is soul crushing.

I'm in the UK, Construction Project Manager. It's a lot easier to have less of the traits mentioned here in construction project management in my opinion. Ultimately in construction its a salvage of a failure from the day it starts. Success is measured on completion. Not hitting deadlines and meeting all deliverables from initial planning. Smooth...it is not. Not for the faint hearted either 😂

Former Law enforcement to PMIT. I start this new position in a week, and was very nervous about it until I watched this video. Thank you, and I look forward to more content!

Thank you for creating this video!

My manager mentioned she thought I could handle a Project Management role, so I’ve been doing research to see if I’d be a good fit. After watching this video, I’m still on the fence though.

I do have a genuine interest and care about people. I’m introverted, so I’d much rather email, but that doesn’t stop me from picking up the phone or hopping on a Teams/Zoom call when needed.

I understand politics and my goal is to make sure MOST everyone is happy (you can’t please every single person though).

Change is inevitable and I see it happen often on many of the projects I work on (I work with multiple Project Managers). Things happen and sometimes you just have to go along for the ride.

I don’t enjoy making mistakes, but I do own up to them, apologize, and learn from them. I do trust myself to make decisions on a project, and if I’m wrong, I apologize and try again.

I want a more stable job and I’m looking to get a certification to make me feel and look more accomplished (I only have a high school diploma). I just don’t know which path to take.

Thank you for this video. Made me realize I am not cut for this role. My friend had an open position for a Construction project manager and I have ZERO knowledge in construction and said I could easily do it. Im not a people person thats why im in tech. 😥

I needed this. Subscribed.

Finally a video that goes trough the deepest and less obvious traits of a PM. Thanks, your insight is highly appreciated.

another important skill is seeing priorities. In many situations with conflicting interests or equally important priorities this might be what you describe as an art, it’s very situational, people tend to talk and talk and feel blocked in such situations.

I'm a perfectionist. So I am a bit concerned about whether PM would be a good career choice for me (I have a first-class economics and politics degree from a top university).

what an amazing discusstion and points you discussed in this video, truly incredbile ,will stand out ....

when you start using empathy in a true sense rather than a punch line you already a people guy , people love you ....

Thank you!

I’m 16 almost 17 still in highschool and this has brought a lot of new thoughts to my mind some for better and some for worse but I greatly appreciate this video nonetheless

Thank you for the information you shared in this video. It was very helpful. I think I would enjoy being a project manager.

My company put me into this role and it's so not the right for me, I am so miserable in this new role 😢

Wow! So much resonted for me there. My only concern about a potential journey as a PM is my apprehension to make decisions, as I do like to be certain. Maybe I could develop myself right there. Thanks man you've really helped me 🙂

I have an interview tomorrow for PM within my own company. And I just took my test (and passed, no prob) exactly a week ago! Nothing like a quick turnaround! Yikes. So I'm watching your video because I am an idealist and a people pleaser; I tend to turn anxiety inward; and I have been a leader but on tasks within projects. I'm also a teacher, which for me, inherently means I love learning. Everything is a learning experience, right?!! I write my own Lessons Learned that I keep in a binder along with my 'About Me' and "Tell me about a time when....." notes for interviews, so that I can reflect back. Your key points are also going into that binder as I can continue to learn and reflect on each point as I will become a PM and I will gain my foundation. I feel like you gave me real food for thought as I go into tomorrow's interview. Ultimately, because I am a teacher, I hope to make this transition easier for others within my company than it was for me (I've been trying to make the switch from technical production analyst to technical project manager for some time without help for my company and only recently, they have been helping me with mentorship) and your tips will help others. Thanks!

I found this information very well explained. Thank you, I am looking forward to the other video's in your series.

Very useful content..Loved it @jason..Thank you so much...I am just about to become PM from being the Project Lead and this video was much wanted one !

Hi Jason, Thanks for the video. I was thinking about project management but has not yet decided. Don't you think you learn some of these traits rather than quitting before realizing your potential is?]

Would it be a good field for someone who is a bit reserved
Has
Genuine interest in people and care about them
Okay with changing conditions
Trust myself to make decisions
But
Dont enjoy politics
Not very skeptical

I needed this - thank you - i have been wavering to move forward, i want to become a PM!

Being a foot shoulder is all the military has taught me. This is going to be a challenge I’m excited

Yess, this is what I was searching for! I am in the process of finding out if I would be happy as PM or not.

This is actually a great video. I was always very disorganised, couldn’t budget, somehow managed to just kind of fall onto the right side of life by working hard at the right time and enjoying the rest of it. Anyway I fell into Project Management as a job when I graduated Uni intending for it to be a stop gap until I found something more me. Here I am 5 years later, somehow I’ve been pretty successful at it (really had to sharpen up on the organisation and self accountability though). The whole time I felt like I was pursuing something I wasn’t meant to do, I wasn’t using my strengths I’d just covered up my weaknesses. These 5 things you’ve listed are all things that I either have always done naturally or do genuinely enjoy, Kind of gob smacked, thank you 🙏 your insight has definitely made me excited again and may be something that changes my life in quite a profound way.

Do you think these skills could be learned?

I believe I could be a great project manager because I think I have a very high EQ , compassion for others , excellent communication skills , knack to get along with just about anybody , exposure to many domains , educational qualifications, excellent negotiating skills and a excellent eye for attention to detail because of me 15 years of experience working as a QA engineer .
However, why I may be a terrible project manager is because my presentation skills are dismal , I get nervous while addressing or presenting to a large audience and am a pretty unorganised person overall , even in my personal life . I also suck at meeting deadlines sometimes and am not a very hard worker and may set a bad example for the team . Also , beyond a certain point , I find it hard to manage people and their temperament or resolve inter personal conflicts etc .
Keeping all the above in mind , I’m still contemplating whether I should take the plunge or stay happy with my current role !

recent grad here, considering getting into project management -- thank you for this!

Yh most people are definitely not cut out for project management, not PMO but actual PMing

I just finished my first course in project management, updated my resume, and am starting to brave looking for jobs as a junior project manager. I opened this video because I wanted to make sure I did a reality check. If there were reasons I would not be the kind of person who should move forward with this I want to know now. There was some trepidation but it is something that had to be done. I was legit scared a bit to watch this. However, Boy howdy was it a breath of fresh air once I did. Over and over you are saying things that I resonate with positively. I want to move into something that takes advantage of who I am instead of fighting against it, and this is ALL right up my alley. So I extend to you my gratitude and thanks for this reality check and confirmation that I might be a very good fit for this profession. I have worked very hard in my personal life to find happiness and have done so. But I have never been optimistic about a career, viewing jobs as a necessary evil to get along. I even contemplated becoming a monk more than once to get away from it. And with Project Management, for the first time in my life, I look at a profession with unbridled optimism and joy. Not only that I can make a good and better living for my self, but that I can be doing something that I find joy in and that is FUN! I love talking to people and solving problems. One of my managers once told me that I was one of the best people he ever had on his team when it came to ambiguity, and that I was very good with ambiguity. I am comfortable with it, and dealing with people in a genuine compassionate way is a deep part of who I am. So I am very excited, humbled, and joyous to have watched this. Again I extend my sincere and heat felt gratitude to you for presenting this. THANK YOU!!! :D :D :D

Yes but what are the day to day duties of a PM? All i hear is very nebulous?

thank you!

Come back please... You are very nice to listen to! We need your experience too!

Will you do a video to explain how a project is NOT like a day-to-day team of line staff? I have been doing this for almost 30 years and am running into more (surprisingly not less) line managers or operational managers with zero patience for the project management in a project. They see the plans and planning activities as well as the project manager-specific activities as overhead because they do not do those same things to run their team's work. My answer is that if you want a goat rodeo, you don't need a project manager. If you want a successful project outcome, you need to trust the PM as your advocate who has special knowledge and skills required to get it done on your behalf.

I really appreciated your insights - good advice for any management role too. Almost no one highlights the importance of being "skeptical" and how difficult it can be to keep that positive and generative when you're managing up. I wish I'd seen this four years ago when you originally posted! Many thanks -

well

Very eye opening video. Thanks for all the info.

How would a project manager handle sprints?

I have thought of going back to school to become a psychologist. I don't know that I would call myself a people person though. I struggle with being sensitive etc. But in the same instance I also feel like I know what to say to get people to motivate. I'm not very bullshitty and I'm not out to be rude either. So...I don't know. On the fence. Might give this a try

Thanks for a great video

I really appreciated the information in this video! Super helpful. It was nice to hear what kind of personal traits would make you good for the job not just skills.

Great Value guyss!

VERY VERY NICE. Thank you. This is eye opening and these skills are good for all types of leaders including parents.

I thought you were going to list all of those surface level things and I was thinking this video will probably solidify the fact that I will never be an organizational project management master. But you did just the opposite! All of the things that you listed are totally me and I am super invigorated for the position I am currently pursuing!

Sounds like abilities I've had challenged before being a manager in a supermarket, but obviously on a smaller scale. Leadership qualities are obvious. Dealing with peoples personal desires and needs. Dealing and navigating workplace politics. Meeting deadlines. Customer satisfaction. Change of plans for various reasons and having to chop and change quickly. A lot of psychology involved with dealing with people, a lot of further study in various areas that could be explored. This actually sounds quite challenging and rewarding if the preparations are put in.

This really reaffirmed to me that I’m on the right path

Hi sir! I need a suggestion, can I become a PM without any experience in Canada? I did mining engineer as graduation now going for PM course from Brampton.

Ooof...I feel like I dodged a bullet! As an ISTJ personality type, I was considering this as a career path. Now after watching this I can't believe that PM has been falsely mentioned in several websites for an ISTJ personality! It's basically the opposite of everything ISTJ is about - no interest in people, no big changes, perfectionist mentality. I love this video and the way it was presented, none of this 'when I wake up I do this blah blah' nonsense. This is by far the greatest video I've seen on a specific career and whether it is right for you.