How to become a Project Manager

Becoming a Project Manager is an in-demand career path. It requires deep expertise in Project Management and a strong network to carry you along. Here are some resources to help you on your journey.

Why should you become a
Project Manager?

Demand for experts in Project Management is growing rapidly. Companies are looking for people with deep expertise in the field of Project Management to help them build their products and services.

As a result, Project Managers are in high demand and command high salaries. According to leading sources, the median salary for a Project Manager is $80,000 and a senior Project Manager can earn up to $110,000. Even entry-level positions can command great salaries.

No wonder that interest in a career in Project Management is growing rapidly. Explore the resources below to learn more about how to become a Project Manager.

Best books to build Project Management understanding.

A well-written and thorough book can be an amazing path to build deeper understanding and also act as a handbook as you discover the internet's vast resources.

These are our and our experts top picks to get started building career-relevant skills.

Project Management for Non-Project Managers

Project Management for Non-Project Managers demystifies the jargon and processes of project management, encouraging functional managers to jump into the PM arena and arming them with step-by-step guidelines for mastering the most critical PM skills, including business analysis techniques, work breakdown structures, program sequencing techniques, and risk management methods. Great managers are experts at getting bottom-line results, but often do not understand their role in the success or failure of their organization's projects.

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Strategic Project Management Made Simple

Strategic Project Management Made Simple is the first book to couple a step-by-step process with an interactive thinking tool that takes a strategic approach to designing projects and action initiatives. Strategic Project Management Made Simple builds a solid platform upon four critical questions that are vital for teams to intelligently answer in order to create their own strong, strategic foundation.

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The Lazy Project Manager: How to Be Twice as Productive and Still Leave the Office Early

In The Lazy Project Manager Peter Taylor reveals how adopting a more focused approach to life, projects and work can make us twice as productive. The Lazy Project Manager has been the project management book to own in the twenty-first century and the second edition brings the art of lazy productivity bang up to date.

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The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You

No idea what you're doing? No problem. Good managers are made, not born. Top tech executive Julie Zhuo remembers the moment when she was asked to lead a team. She felt like she’d won the golden ticket, until reality came crashing in. She was just 25 and had barely any experience being managed, let alone managing others. Her co-workers became her employees overnight, and she faced a series of anxiety-inducing firsts, including agonising over whether to hire an interviewee; seeking the respect of reports who were cleverer than her; and having to fire someone she liked. Like most first-time managers, she wasn’t given any formal training, and had no resources to turn to for help. It took her years to find her way, but now she’s offering you the short-cut to success. This is the book she wishes she had on day one.

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Brilliant Project Management ePub eBook: What the best project managers know, do and say

Whether you are organising an important event or heading up a large team, running a project can be a daunting process. Spiralling costs and missed deadlines are part of everyday life for many project managers - in fact, more projects fail than succeed! But project management doesn't have to be this way. It is possible to manage projects that consistently meet deadlines and come in within budget. Brilliant Project Management shows you how. Drawing on over 30 years of experience, you’ll discover how to ensure your projects succeed every time. In this new edition Barker & Cole have included a section highlighting valuable sources of information in the challenging world of project management, including their inside track on methods, training and professional associations. It’s the ultimate guide to becoming a brilliant project manager.

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Managing Projects (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

You've been asked to manage a key project--or perhaps you've volunteered for an assignment that could advance your career. So how do you make sure the project succeeds? Managing Projects walks you quickly through the basics. Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives--from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.

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The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win

"This book is a gripping read that captures brilliantly the dilemmas that face companies which depend on IT, and offers real-world solutions."--JEZ HUMBLE, Co-author of Continuous Delivery, Lean Enterprise, Accelerate, and The DevOps Handbook -------- "I'm delighted at how The Phoenix Project has reshaped so many conversations in technology. My goal in writing The Unicorn Project was to explore and reveal the necessary but invisible structures required to make developers (and all engineers) productive, and reveal the devastating effects of technical debt and complexity. I hope this book can create common ground for technology and business leaders to leave the past behind, and co-create a better future together."--Gene Kim, November 2019

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Project Management All-in-One For Dummies

Packed with on-point PM wisdom, these 7 mini-books—including the bestselling Project Management and Agile Project Management For Dummies—help you and your team hit maximum productivity by razor-honing your skills in sizing, organizing, and scheduling projects for ultimate effectiveness. You’ll also find everything you need to overdeliver in a good way when choosing the right tech and software, assessing risk, and dodging the pitfalls that can snarl up even the best-laid plans.

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Courses to deepen your Project Management skills.

These days, courses are no longer a sequence of videos. They are usually accompanied by projects and a learning community, keeping you accountable and on the path.

Our experts recommend these courses, from free selections to paid programs.

Foundations of Project Management

This course is the first in a series of six to equip you with the skills you need to apply to introductory-level roles in project management. Project managers play a key role in leading, planning and implementing critical projects to help their organizations succeed. In this course, you’ll discover foundational project management terminology and gain a deeper understanding of the role and responsibilities of a project manager. We’ll also introduce you to the kinds of jobs you might pursue after completing this program. Throughout the program, you’ll learn from current Google project managers, who can provide you with a multi-dimensional educational experience that will help you build your skills for on-the-job application.

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Capstone: Applying Project Management in the Real World

n this final, capstone course of the Google Project Management Certificate, you will practice applying the project management knowledge and skills you have learned so far. We encourage learners to complete Courses 1-5 before beginning the final course, as they provide the foundation necessary to complete the activities in this course. After completing this program, you should be equipped to apply for introductory-level jobs as a project manager. You will also have the opportunity to claim a certification of completion badge that will be recognizable to employers.

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Google Project Management: Professional Certificate

Over 6 courses, gain in-demand skills that will prepare you for an entry-level job. Learn from Google employees whose foundations in project management served as launchpads for their own careers. At under 10 hours per week, you can complete in less than six months. Upon completion, you can directly apply for jobs with Google and over 130 U.S. employers, including Walmart, Best Buy, and Astreya. This program qualifies you for over 100 hours of project management education, which helps prepare you for Project Management Institute Certifications like the globally-recognized Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®.

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Rochester Institute of Technology MicroMasters® Program in Project Management

The Project Management MicroMasters program from RIT is a graduate level series of courses designed to provide you with the in-depth knowledge and skills needed to be a successful project manager in any industry. This online sequence is a semester’s worth of work from RIT's Master's degree and consists of three courses and a final capstone exam.

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BID Results-Based Project Management

This professional certificate examines the inter-related components of public policy planning, project planning, activities, management, evaluation, and project risks that can positively impact the project life cycle of socio-economic development initiatives. It emphasizes the importance and value of being equally equipped with a critical understanding of the project scope, the project environment, and how data analysis, project management, and risk management fosters effective decision-making in the delivery of public services within developing countries.

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The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager

Project Management is an exciting profession. Moving from one project to another, a Project manager constantly faces new businesses, new processes and systems, new people, and new situations. Such a dynamic environment helps you learn more all the time, and advances your skills much faster than traditional jobs do. Developing the ability to structure chaos into a project, along with solid project management knowledge and skills, will make your endeavors more successful than ever – whether it is the performance of a big organization, your own career progression, a new business start-up, or even your personal life projects! It’s no surprise that the demand for project managers is expected to be substantial in the years to come. Our program is carefully designed to help anyone build knowledge and skills, grow the needed confidence, and start managing projects on their own! This online course is unique, as it combines all critical lessons a PM should learn

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Change Management for Projects

For a change initiative to succeed, project managers must effectively support those affected by the change during the project. In this course, instructor Claudine Peet discusses the importance of planning change management activities for a project, sharing tips and techniques that can help you confidently approach the people side of project management. Claudine goes over change management roles and activities in the project management lifecycle, as well as techniques for grappling with the effects of change on individuals. She details what type of resistance to look out for and how to tackle it effectively; how to train people with different learning styles; how to plan change communications; how to deal with team members who lack motivation; and more.

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Introduction to Project Management

Upscale your career with this Introduction to Project Management program by Simplilearn. Gain an understanding of project management fundamentals to prepare for the next big role in your professional career. Learn project management by familiarizing yourself with PMP® basics, Agile, Scrum, and Microsoft Project 2013 — to lead any project from start-to-finish.

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Get the guidance you need to become a Project Manager

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

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Andrew Munnings 🇬🇧

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May 14, 2021

Software Development Sans Project Manager

Yes, it can be done. Read on to find a non-exhaustive list of advice and guidance to staying productive and organized without a project manager on your team.

How to become a Project Manager

Why should you become a
Project Manager?

Best books to build Project Management understanding.