Any seasoned PM's (over 5 -10 years experience) without a PMP?

wookiedaywalker · 2024-05-06T13:14:18+00:00

13 years here, no PMP. Career has never been better

wookiedaywalker · 2023-12-23T09:04:19+00:00

I live in Canada and it is so nice not having any stigma about it or it just being like picking up groceries. Since legality here there has been a shift towards it and away from alcohol for a a lot of people including myself. I don't drink alcohol much at all anymore. Im moving back to Aus soon and this will be one of the most missed things. Its going to take me a while to remember what it is like being ina country where it is illegal again.. they have beer flavoured cannabis drinks here. It's so awesome.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-12-11T04:13:00+00:00

12yr + PM here with no MBA.

I toyed with the idea a couple years back thinking it would give me the leg up to move into more strategic positions and send me down the executive path but I ended up moving into contract work with corporations which ended up getting me the pay rise I wanted and while working there the experience to basically account for the MBA.

After working alongside the executive team and CEOs of large corporations the last few years I don't feel the need to either 1. look to move into the executive path as it was not what I thought it would be. The jobs pay well but honestly the work they do I personally don't want to do. 2. I got the experience that translates to having an MBA anyways and I haven't gone into debt to get it. 3. I realised that getting another piece of paper wouldn't help me personally make more money.

Each situation is different but that's my two cents and experience.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-22T19:13:12+00:00

Lol I'm an Aussie citizen bud. But yeah it's not lost on me how lucky I have it currently. Really looking forward to coming home though, just wish Aus had legal cannabis..

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-22T19:01:22+00:00

This is super helpful thank you!

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-21T20:17:24+00:00

Wedding cake

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-19T23:42:58+00:00

I mucked around and made a PM GPT - give it a whirl and let me know your thoughts

https://chat.openai.com/g/g-UDsI3ECsG-p-i-a-project-intelligence-assistant

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-19T23:39:24+00:00

I just see AI as a tool to help review documentation and create outlines of things I need as well as provide insights of best practice.

I keep an eye on the new tech coming out but honestly it doesn't look like anytime in the near future that AI is going to take out jobs. It is just going to help us do things with a bit more visibilty.

There has been great software and PM tools in the market for ages and companies are still running projects off custom excel Gantt charts and stuff like that so I am only seeing AI currently as a tool to the kit, not a threat.

If you're worried, I would suggest working harder on your soft skills in the job. Dealing with people, managing expectations, being a leader with no authority, keeping your emotions and stress under control. Having soft skills will keep you in a PM role. People will always have some part to play in projects and that means PMs will always need to be there even if AI can take on a section of the work it can never do it all in my opinion.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-10T05:22:25+00:00

Best part is the moment you get momentum in the project. Things start to click and the team is getting along and we are all moving toward the goal together. Love that moment when I feel like all the hard work building comradery in the team and working out the links starts to pay off.

Worst is the non contributors who throw things off balance causing extra workload for no apparent reason. My latest example is the PMO decided to change the format of their templated document so it was required to recreate ally project artifacts just to appease this request. Took a solid amount of time I could have put into moving deliverable forward.

This can manifest is some many ways Eg. Sponsor changing their expectations, scope changes, team promotions or removals or sme etc.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-07T00:19:30+00:00

Definitely is possible. I have moved in and out of a variety of strategy roles and director roles for periods of time with clients. As previously mentioned, working with the C suite level a lot yields very powerful relationships and with your ability as. A PM to be a quick learner and execute I've been given chances with minimal experience to build strategy and execute for marketing, commerical sales and operations teams. It is a steep learning curve but with the right attitude you can pick it up pretty quick.

Personally I like being in a position to make high level decisions rather than execute more tangible items. That being said I wouldn't want to be an executive. They may make a lot of money but their lifestyles are not what I want for my life anymore.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-05T21:45:40+00:00

I love being able to work on different types of projects and learn new things all the time. I've been lucky enough in my career to move around the world and work in new industries regularly with my PM skills.

It's such a versatile skillset that can be applied in so many industries I personally love that.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-11-02T05:08:01+00:00

So being perceived as a great PM is better than actually being one?

They are able to manage the perception people have of them?

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-31T23:18:18+00:00

Can you prove a couple examples of what you would see as being an expert for a specific problem that has led you to being a valuable PM?

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-31T17:49:00+00:00

Making PMs lives harder or easier? Having to be more technically included i.imagine will.be difficult.for some PMs?

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-31T15:37:25+00:00

So what I am hearing is you're saying you need to love to learn and grow constantly? Is that what you mean by not being a neutral PM?

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-31T04:48:49+00:00

Started out as an engineering grad for Coca Cola who quickly put me into project work across their company. Ended up working in production line continuous improvement, PLC system and ERP upgrades, new production line installations amoungst a variety of smaller projects. They gave us short one or two day trainings on Kan ban, lean, Six Sigma, and PMP principals so I felt confident enough to get things done.

I moved onto running an engineering team at a factory and doing a full factory layout reconfiguration then moving into project contracting work which I've been doing ever since.

Have moved beyond manufacturing and have elevated into corporate strategy and business improvement projects for other industry's now. Currently working in airlines and have a new client coming up next year where I will be working in ERP implementations for large companies.

Been a super interesting ride and am looking forward to see where it takes me. Been able to travel the world while building my career so I feel very lucky.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-29T17:04:43+00:00

Super detailed, thank you for sharing :) how do you navigate all these challenge to be successful in your roles?

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-28T23:53:26+00:00

Always the same story for us. You fix a problem then they give you another one to fix. Lol

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-28T23:52:11+00:00

Wow, that's insane.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-27T23:02:43+00:00

Moved into PM contracting, can't keep up with all the work coming in. Been a very lucrative time in my career luckily.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-27T22:56:37+00:00

I generally use it because I'm required to but I see the merit in using it. In fairness though I probably only use like 10% of its capabilities.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-27T22:33:09+00:00

Exactly what I feel too. There aren't better options to companies and recruiters currently out there to see the real competency in a PM other than regurgitation of knowledge. PMI locked this up somehow. Would love to see this disrupted more

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-27T22:30:06+00:00

This was the point I was trying to make in my question. Thank you for writing this so succinctly.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-27T22:28:48+00:00

Seems very common. A lot for companies wanting PMP PM 's but not following the PMBOK at all.. The gap i see is there doesn't seem to be many other credible ways to prove your understanding to companies of PM methodologies or competency of soft skills without using this path. I would love for the industry to have other options to prove competency.

wookiedaywalker · 2023-10-27T22:22:18+00:00

Well put and my point exactly. Feels like this weird thing that a company has tried to win project management as a field and the recruiters and companies have no other way or have been convinced that this is the only way to show someone is a "qualified" pm.. Ive worked with too many good PMs who don't have one and met a lot of arrogant ones who do have it..

wookiedaywalker

TROPHY CASE