The PM Pivot - #14: Picking Your Industry

The Value of Stretching Yourself

I've been traveling lately, and busy stretching my abilities in new and interesting directions. As I open new paths, I've been thinking a lot about fulfilling dreams. I think when we are faced with actually living out our dream scenarios, it can be frightening. New, large, and exciting things almost always are in some way.

Every major challenge I've stretched for in my life has been for the better (even when I've failed), but that doesn't mean it was easy or even obvious that I was making a good decision. Nevertheless, having firm goals helps to bolster me through the turbulence of a new endeavor. It's comforting to know the value I have dreamed of achieving.

Picking Your Industry

Project management is not an industry, it's a discipline. What's more, the principles, processes, and practices are informed by a global community of practitioners across many, many industries and careers. This makes project management one of the trickier career paths to plan out.

It's not enough to say "I want to be a project manager." The immediate follow-up question will always be "what kind?" Project managers are common in construction, IT, government, energy, security, marketing, healthcare, and even retail. To say "I want to be a project manager" is a little bit like saying "I want to be a VP." Totally doable. But you need to pick a lane and work toward it.

Where do you start? I typically suggest that you start by browsing project management job listings to get a sense of what industries are hiring and what they're looking for. Do they need hard skills or technical experience? What about education and credentials in a specific functional area? Begin a list of areas with broad interest to you. Be as specific as possible! You won't be great at everything, and you can't land a job in "any industry."

The next step is to do your homework. Know your "upskilling budget" and map out what your investment will need to be to make a jump into a new industry. How much time and energy do you have to dedicate to acquiring new skills and credentials? Which credentials are most important in your target role(s)?

An important part of your research is to get an idea of the basics of the industry. This might be done through reading books, listening to industry-specific podcasts, watching basic introductions on YouTube, etc.

If you've narrowed down your focus, you can really dig in. Start networking with people in your target industry and role. Reach out with a specific question or two about how to succeed in the field or asking if they have time to talk about how they have gained experience in their role. Always ask to stay in touch in the future, you never know how connections will grow and benefit everybody in the future.

There's no replacement for knowing yourself. We all have strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. If you can combine that with a solid research plan, you'll be well on your way to your next career.

Thanks for Reading

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