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There are numerous advantages to becoming a project management professional now, including expanded prospects, a more flexible approach to adopting processes, and a seriously attractive pay package for certified PMs.
The talent gap: what, where, and just how wide is it?
With a large expected demand for project management professionals comes a disadvantage — at least for companies. Their increased need for this talented personnel will be matched by a slower-than-expected increase in PM availability, owing in part to the retirement of certain professionals from the global workforce. What does this mean for ambitious project managers? A truly enticing smorgasbord of work opportunities to match your skills. Manufacturing, IT and publishing, banking and insurance, and many other sectors are expected to see a 17 percent increase in the number of accessible project-oriented employment in the United States alone.
But what will this work look like?
Anyone who is anyone (or has read a few things about contemporary techniques) understands that agile project management is the way of the future. This will entail combining best practices from several techniques and customizing them to your company. Agile is flexible by definition, allowing you to deliver and adapt projects using a more rigid, sequential process, such as waterfall. Wearable technology (to promote productivity and good health) and the rising presence of AI to help automate work will also make project managers' day-to-day duties easier.
#WiPM (Women in Project Management)
For a long time, the gap between men and women in project management-related roles has been a steady 70:30 (in favor of males). However, according to the APM Salary and Market Trends Survey for 2021, the number of women entering the field of project management is currently double that of men. You may locate a fast-developing network of female project professionals studying and working their way through the field by going to Twitter and looking up hashtags like #WiPM. What are the advantages of project management careers for women? Apart from the gratifying work, the vast variety of positions available, and the growing demand for project managers, it also has financial rewards, which brings us to our next point.
Enough talk – show me the money
Project management isn't simple, but you'll be rewarded in more ways than just new challenges and job satisfaction. Wages for project management workers were 82 percent higher on average in 2021 than for workers in other positions and sectors. In addition, 70% of respondents to the PMI's Project Management Salary Poll for 2021 said their overall salary had increased in the 12 months before the survey. According to the poll, PMP Certification holders earn a median salary that is 23% higher than the national average.