Recently Laid-Off or Looking for Additional Job Security?

Unfortunately, the economy has had an impact on a lot of people. If you haven't been affected, I bet it's safe to say you know someone who has. Is there any way to protect yourself completely from this reality? No, but you can definitely take some steps to get you back on the right track or perhaps protect you from falling off in the first place.

Project management is an incredibly versatile career choice as it spans just about all industries and there is a growing demand not just in the States, but around the world. In the "PMI Today" supplement of the June 2009 PM Network(R) magazine, published by PMI(R), there are a number of interesting statistics regarding the growth of and demand for credentialed project managers. According to the article "the number of PMP(R) credential holders has grown in nine years by more than 1,000% to over 330,000 people." They also cite a report in The McKinsey Quarterly that states "$12 trillion - or one-fifth of the world's GDP - will be invested in projects each year in the next decade."

The article goes on to reveal a few more interesting facts:
Annual salaries for project-oriented workers was $89,000 compared to $49,000 for non-project-oriented. And 30% of PMI members are set to retire within the next decade - this adds up to a shortage of skilled, credentialed project managers. The article concluded with this: "The study identified 85 project-oriented occupations and 15 projectized industries. it established that the economic impact of not filling 1.2 million new project management jobs a year globally is significant. Of the $4.5 trillion increase in project investment by 2016, about $200 billion will be at risk from project management skills shortages." PMI Today, June 2009, pg. 4.

So I would encourage you - if you are considering a career change, either by choice or not, perhaps project management might be in your future! Having been in the field for almost 20 years, I can tell you, it's fun, fast-paced, ever-changing, challenging, and very rewarding.

If you're interested in project management and pursuing certification, call us! We'd love to talk to you more about the possibilities. And remember, even if you have no formal project management experience you can still get credentialed with the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM(R)) from PMI(R).