What jobs can you get with a project management qualification?

Project management is a popular career choice in the UK because of the wide range of industries that use Project Managers to oversee and complete complex projects. There are many opportunities for skilled Project Managers to use their skills, and Project Managers who can lead teams to complete projects on time and within budget are highly sought after. 

Once you have gained experience as a Project Manager, your next logical career progression is to become a Senior Project Manager, Head of Department, Director, or Chief Executive. This is especially true for those who have earned a strong reputation in the industry and had a successful career in project management. 

In this article, we discuss how you can begin your career in project management and review some of the jobs you can get with a project management qualification. 

Explore our top Project Management Courses

Jobs you can get with a project management qualification  

As project management methodologies are used in a wide variety of industries, it is possible to enter project management as a secondary career after gaining experience in a relevant field. 

Project management qualifications would benefit those in the following industries:  

• IT
• Engineering
• Financial services
• Architecture  
• Construction
• Marketing
• Healthcare  

Below we review some of the project management job roles to show you how a project management qualification can enhance your career progression. 

Project Manager - Project management qualifications can lead you to the role of Project Manager. When it comes to leading projects, it’s important to gain relevant experience and earn recognised project management qualifications, which will support your expertise and enable you to apply for job roles in your chosen industry. As a Project Manager, you will likely be responsible for a wide variety of challenging projects, so it's important to be able to work under pressure to achieve positive outcomes. 

Project assistant - Gaining a project management qualification is an ideal way to start a career in this field. Before you progress to the role of Project Manager, you will first work as a Project Assistant. Project Assistant roles are in high demand, but they enable you to build up your experience and get an idea of your strengths before accepting more senior job roles. When working as a project assistant, you must showcase first-class organisational skills, good communication skills and show the ability to work within a team. You must build a good reputation while working as a Project Assistant to develop a solid career in project management. 

Change manager - Change management is a relatively new specialism within Project Management, but one that is vital to the success of a business. Change Managers are frequently employed to help facilitate change within an organisation, where they typically work on large-scale projects to plan the most effective ways of creating change. Change Managers should have strong people skills as there is often a requirement for Change Managers to create strategies on how to handle change within an organisation and their teams. 

Company director - Successful Project Managers go on to become Project or Company Directors. Those with many years of experience in project management are ideally suited to managing project management teams and leading them to success. This is especially true in industries that rely on complex projects running smoothly, such as construction or product design. The path to becoming a Director is most accessible to those who have a great deal of industry experience, so it is worth working on projects that will enable you to gain maximum experience in your field of expertise.

How to begin your career in project management  

Many people looking to begin a career in project management first study for a degree or master's degree in project management. While this is not a bad option, there are other, often better ways, to gain the knowledge, skills, and certificates required to embark on a career in this field. Solid experience in project management combined with knowledge of relevant project management frameworks is more important to employers, making official project management qualifications are a great way to move into this industry. 

When looking to begin a career in project management, it is often necessary to gain experience in a relevant industry in an internship position or a junior role. In time you will be able to use your skills and experience to find full-time employment working on high-level projects. 

If you are intrigued and want more information on how to become a project manager visit our career guide.  

What are the best project management courses?  

e-Careers are proud to offer a wide range of Online Project Management Courses and Virtual Classroom Project Management training. Explore our full range of project management courses today.   

Summary                         

In conclusion, project management is a popular career path that can lead to excellent opportunities. Experience is the key to success as a Project Manager and, with the right attitude, you will be able to move into lucrative positions such as company or Project Director. 

For more information on project management as a career visit our guide to this profession. 

Interested in a training course? To get started or discuss your requirements in more detail, call our Course Consultants on +44 (0) 20 3198 7700 or fill out our contact form and someone will be in touch with you to go through your training options.