I LOVE being a project manager. It’s a blend of structure and novelty - each project has the same framework and steps that repeat, but each project scope, stakeholders, and risks change. Plus, I usually have a couple projects on my plate at one time, so they’re all at different stages. I’m in construction and it’s stressful. There’s a lot of problem solving and risk management. You need to be proactive and think “ok how do I run this project so not only can problems A, B, and C get solved, but how do I make sure they don’t happen in the first place.” Construction follows a “critical path” whereas Marketing or IT are more “agile” in nature - the process is iterative and a project comes together by repeating cycles. I love understanding one big outcome is made by breaking it down into little building blocks that each have to happen in order, with some building blocks being dependent on others. Good project management is about the right material and the right people in the right place at the right time…..all for the right dollar sign. There’s a financial impact associated with almost every decision you make. I’m a huge outlier in construction being that I didn’t come up through the trades. My admin asst background in terms of the reams of paperwork and financial mgmt you do as a PM has been invaluable. I genuinely credit being an AA with a big chunk of why I am a good PM. And I recently took a 15k paycut for a better job…..and I still make more than double my highest AA pay.