A High School Analogy: Why (and How) to Support Your AEC Professionals at Every Stage of Their Careers

I have a daughter who is graduating high school this year, and a son who just started as a freshman. I also work with many AEC firms, through the Engineering Management Institute , helping firms chart out career paths and progressions for their professionals. I realized recently that the high school experience provides a good analogy as to why AEC firms really need to consider the different development stages of their professionals and how clear career paths can help them do this effectively.

I thought it might be helpful to walk through this analogy to help AEC leaders think through their firm's career progressions.? Since a lot of our work at EMI is focused on building custom project management development programs and related career paths, I will use the example of a PM progression alongside a high school student's journey. Please note, while this analogy works well, the high school student’s journey is 4 years long, while the PMs journey is usually twenty to thirty.

Eighth Grade (Soon-to-Be Project Manager)

When a child is in eighth grade, they aren’t really thinking about high school, at all, they are just trying to finish eighth grade. They really have no idea what lies ahead. This is similar to soon-to-be PMs in your firm. Most don’t know they are about to become a Project Manager or what it entails. Some parents might try to prepare their children for high school by getting them involved in activities BEFORE they have to make the transition, some parents don’t. Some AEC firms start preparing their future PMs ahead of time by allowing them to serve as task managers or even introduce basic training programs BEFORE they become a PM, some AEC firms don’t.?

At EMI, we have helped firms develop basic courses, like a Consulting 101 course, that introduces project management to all employees. How is your firm supporting your soon-to-be project managers?

Freshman (New Project Manager)

When a child becomes a freshman in high school, they can be overwhelmed by the new experience. New school, new classes, new responsibilities, oh my. So many changes happening at one time. Many high schools will create a transition plan, and provide resources, like a guidance counselor, to help freshmen acclimate to their new environment.

This is similar to new project managers. All of a sudden they are responsible for more than just the technical work that they are used to. Now they have to manage multiple components of a project, maybe lead people, send out invoices, interact with clients, track the project schedule, and more. Some AEC firms will provide support to these new PMs in the way of development programs and mentoring from senior project managers to ease the transition, some AEC firms don’t.

At EMI, we have designed and delivered PM foundation courses and provided guidance on incorporating mentoring to help our clients support new project managers. How is your firm supporting your new project managers?

Sophomore (Junior Project Manager)

As a sophomore, a student now has a pretty good feel for what high school is and has built up some routines, however they still need support and guidance from counselors, teachers and their parents. This is similar to a junior project manager who now might start managing multiple projects as opposed to one, or maybe they start to take on larger projects.?

Junior project managers still need support from your firm, they cannot be abandoned, because, “They know what they are doing now.” Many of them don’t. This is an area where we have seen many firms fail. They assume that after an initial PM training course for new PMs, you can just let them do their thing. This, “Set it and forget it,” mentality won’t work. They still need support of some kind.

At EMI, we have helped firms incorporate a PM Community of Practice or mentoring program that helps support these developing PMs. How is your firm supporting your junior project managers?

Junior (Deputy Project Manager)

A high school junior has a pretty good handle on high school at this point, and requires less guidance than the past few years. That being said, juniors are now close to senior year and will need to start focusing on important items like AP courses, SATs, and college applications.

This is similar to a Deputy Project Manager. These PMs have a good handle on project management at this point. They are likely managing several large projects, and maybe even some new or junior project managers. At this point in their PM progression, they need assistance now on leading other PMs, and other people-related skills.?

At EMI, we have designed and delivered advanced PM courses that include advanced people skills topics to help our clients support deputy project managers. How is your firm supporting your deputy project managers?

Senior (Senior Project Manager)

Seniors in high school are at the top of the food chain (for now). They’ve got this high school thing down to a science. Some seniors become active in higher level volunteer positions or athletic teams at school. Maybe they are now captains of teams or they are club presidents. They are the leaders in the school.

This is similar to your senior project managers. At this point in their careers they may be doing program management, where they are managing groups of projects and project managers. This is a very important position in firms because senior project managers often serve as role models for the less experienced PMs (the freshmen, sophomores and juniors). If they don’t follow the firm's standards, neither will the less experienced PMs. They instill the PM culture.

At EMI, we typically recommend that our clients include the Senior PMs in the PM basic or foundation courses as mentors while also supporting them with advanced programs. How is your firm supporting your senior project managers?

The bottom line here is whether you are thinking about architects, engineers, construction professionals, or project managers, they all have different stages of their careers, and whether or not your firm supports them at every stage will directly relate to the success of your organization.

If you need some help, just message me and I'll try to help you out.

I hope you enjoyed this month's AEC Leadership Pulse. If you are interested in our new AEC PM Certification or have any other learning and development needs please message me on LinkedIn or call me at 800.920.4007.

Anthony Fasano, P.E. | President & CEO | Engineering Management Institute

Helping AEC professionals become better managers and leaders.