Personal Development, Project Management, Career Musings

It has been 15 weeks since I commenced studies of my first Masters module, M815 Project Management, with The Open University. It has been tough, reminding me of those late nights after a hard day of working to try and get in my studies, and working up to those TMA deadlines.

68% of the way there!

Looking at my study planner, I am now 68% through my module on Project Management, accounting for 15 out of the 24 weeks of the total duration of the module.

In June I got my first TMA in, and received a very good grade - a much better grade than I expected to get. This has given me a much needed confidence boost after being out of study since 2022 (even though that isn’t that long!). I have now submitted my second assignment, with a third due in early September, and my final End of Module Assessment due mid-October.

Personal Development in Project Management

As part of my studies, I have the privilege of having access to APM webinars, including one I attended tonight on exploring a career in project management. This was extremely informative, providing valuable insights and highlighted several interesting facts I was previously unaware of, including:

• Project Managers are not always involved in a project from inception through to completion.
• There is a talent shortage within the Project Management profession and across sectors, it is predicted that 25 million extra Project Managers will be needed by 2030!
• Many opportunities are available within the profession, with many professionals transitioning into the field from other disciplines.
• Many Project Managers enjoy travel opportunities, with projects across various sectors often involving working on a global scale.

The Golden Thread

Another interesting mention in the webinar was The Golden Thread, which is a study commissioned by the Asoociation for Project Management on the contribution the Project Profession makes to the UK economy.

This is something I intend to read more about, but was given a brief overview of during the webinar, which revealed the following:

• Role of project professionals envolves, with requirements to leverage new technology, build strong relationships, and align project outcomes with goals of organisations.
• The need for further development on these, as well as technical skills, so that the role of the Project Manager becomes more attractive.
• Project professionals are spread across many sectors within the economy, delivering strategic changes and overcoming important problems faced by society today.
• The profession is optimistic, with number of projects and their budgets increasing.
• Talent shortages means more needs to be done to sustain the growth of the profession.

Career Prospects

As I have developed greater self-awareness and personal reflection, I’ve come to a realisation about my current role as a Web Developer. Whilst I enjoy programming and problem-solving through code, I find myself increasingly drawn to the strategic and managerial aspects of the projects themselves. This growing interest has become more and more apparent as my studies continue to progress.

I feel I have now reached a career checkpoint and that now is the right time to reflect and consider my next steps. Through my studies, I’ve discovered a deep interest in Project Management and plan to pursue further qualifications in this field, starting with the APM Project Fundamentals Qualification.

I have also realised that project management is fundamentally all about people, and I am eager to apply the skills I have gained from my academic background in law and technology, along with my career experiences - working with the public, managing staff as a company director, and contributing to projects as a web developer — to a career where I can use my people skills to make meaningful contributions to improve society, project by project.