Experience | PM in HE
Experience is something every University, company, and organizations want their employees to have. It is more common than not to have a requirement of 3-5 years of experience for someone to break into their desired field or position.
I’m 26, and this something I know all too well. Being young and trying to pave your own way is a difficult thing to do. It takes determination, time, investing in yourself, and having confidence in your capabilities.
It takes determination, time, investing in yourself, and having confidence in your capabilities.
The project management field has been a hard barrier to break in to. I started working for an AV integration company right out of school. My first position was as an Associate Project Manager. I entered the position with a fire and desire to learn and grow to be the best that I could be. Even with that mentality I was not prepared for what the field of project management had in store for me. The biggest obstacle that I encountered was my age. My age was always a topic of discussion and always noticed in every meeting. It was commonly assumed that due to my age I didn’t know what I was talking about, didn’t know what I was doing, and wouldn’t have that ability until many years down the road.
Working in any type of construction project you will encounter a variety of trades. People who work in the trades take great pride in their ability and understanding of their field, as they should. When I was beginning to work on big projects, I participated in many project meetings with the General Contractor of the job and all the sub-contractors for specific trades and task. It was hard to find my voice in these meetings because everyone was much more seasoned than I was, and they knew it. I felt insecure, unsure of my project updates, unsure if I was using correct terminology or if I was making a complete fool out of myself.
I decided I needed to make a change. I could not expect people or the industry to change for me,
After just a few of these meetings I decided I needed to make a change. I could not expect people or the industry to change for me, I had to make adjustments to myself to make myself more credible to those around me. This involved studying, lots of studying. Not only did I need to know my own field, but I needed to have a grasp of every trade I would be working with. Studying wasn’t just reading and participating in classes or seminars, but it was studying the people I worked with daily. What made them so good at their jobs? Why did people respect them and their opinions? What could I take from these people and apply to myself? Slowly but surely, I started to be able to stand firm and confident in project meetings. I was able to understand the dialogue taking place and started to learn other trades to know how to defend my team in accusatory situations. At this point I’ve only scratched the surface but at least I’m headed in the right direction.
Although this doesn’t just apply to project management, it is the lens in which I am learning these life skills. The only way I was able to make any progress, was due to the kind, giving people who I was surrounded by at work. I was able to watch and learn. Becoming the best professional you can be requires time, self motivation, and mentors/professionals who you can learn from. I believe it is a common stigma that young people feel that they deserve upward movement and acceptance in their respective fields and for some that is a true mentality. However, that is not all young professionals coming up and we need those around us to help guide us and grow us into the best professionals we can be.
Becoming the best professional you can be requires time, self motivation, and mentors/professionals who you can learn from.