Why i Want to be a Project Manager: from Botany to Boardrooms

Journey to Becoming a Project Manager

The people who know me describe me as a pleasant, practical, people person, diverse and artistic. My cosmopolitan nature makes me a person with diverse interests. I was a student of Botany in my undergraduate program, and I love plants. I am a woman with an aptitude for management and an interest in technology. I am passionate about painting and traveling the world, exploring different cultures, food, and people. I like being diverse as it gives me a broader outlook towards my career and helps me grow professionally.

To summarize, I love working with people, knowing their perspectives on a given problem, and trying to learn from their opinions and reasons. These inherent traits played a crucial role in my decision to pursue a career in Project Management.

My passion for a career in Project Management started when I was doing my MBA. I had Project Management as a course in my curriculum. It allowed me to have an overview of this field. I wanted to learn its fundamental principles, techniques, and what a successful project manager must do. During my MBA program at the university, I formed and led the organizing committee at the university’s annual function. I had a pleasant experience in planning, organizing, scheduling, problem-solving, and budgeting. These initiatives kept me motivated and encouraged me to move further in life.

For instance, I was the team leader in the organizing committee and was responsible for organizing various university events. Once, there was the university’s annual event, where I participated right from the planning phase to the execution phase. I handled the team and managed resources that went short at one event there. I helped design the podium, took decisions to be implemented, talked with sponsors, and managed conflicts among team members and sponsors. Due to my participation in this event, I realized that I like solving problems by taking initiative and working with multiple teams. That experience laid the founding stones of my interest in Project Management.

Merging Academic Pursuits with Professional Aspirations

As a part of my university curriculum, I interned after my first year of my MBA. This opportunity taught me critical financial skills in budget analysis, leadership, planning, organizing, and conflict management. This exposed me to the real world and prepared me to face it confidently. My internship and skills gained helped me to work for Samsung Electronics in the consumer electronics business. Here, I learned how to manage people, worked on several projects with team members, and learned marketing tools and techniques, which I will find fundamental and essential in pursuing a career in project management.

Finally, when I worked here in Seattle for different non-profit organizations, I learned how communication is critical for growth in my career. I had a wonderful time working with people, understanding the problem, and acting as a problem solver. I learned organizational skills, leadership, and decision-making skills that a person requires at the workplace. However, professional skills require professional learning. Thus, I decided to go for a graduate degree in Project Management.

Learning has no boundaries, and the role of education in this process is truly unparalleled. The Project Management industry and the application of technical skills in this area have made this profession quite demanding. I am excited to learn about these through my Master’s in Project Management. This course will allow me to interact with people from different walks of life and give me a platform to see the problem from a different perspective.

Through this course, I will get many opportunities to excel in construction, manufacturing, non-profit, education, health management, and many more. I will get hands-on experience driving projects, services, or product launches. My ultimate objective is to learn how to get things done and obtain professional and personal growth. I want to utilize my degree in project management to equip me with professional skills and to have a rewarding career in the future.

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