How a Project Management degree can propel your career to the next level

Planning your next career move after finishing an undergraduate degree and even working for a few years may seem daunting. With the ever-evolving job market and emerging industries, you may ask how to proceed with a higher probability of landing a better and more in-demand role while also having the flexibility to venture into different disciplines and industries. The answer is Project Management.

Project Management pertains to the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to ensure achievement of project goals. Project Management presents highly transferable skills; therefore, project managers see themselves in a variety of industries including construction, IT, utilities, finance, health care, consulting, manufacturing – essentially in every industry where a project is needed to address a business need. A project manager (PM) can also work in non-profit organizations and the government.

The Project Management Institute (PMI), a professional organization of project managers and the project management certification body, anticipated the demand for project managers will grow faster than any other occupations from 2017 to 2027. PMI research suggests that employers across the globe need to fill around 2.2 million new project-oriented roles each year until 2027 [1]. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic triggering a recession and record unemployment rates, job prospects for project managers remain fairly steady. As of early November 2020, indeed.ca registered around 3,000 current job openings for project managers across Canada.

Project Managers constantly tackle challenges and provide solutions for their organization. In effectively doing so, they are well-respected and well-compensated. For instance, in Canada, a Project Manager in construction earns a median wage of CAD$40/hour, with a more experienced PM earning as high as CAD$61/hour [3]. Over the next three years, job prospects of PM in construction remain promising in ten out of thirteen Canadian provinces and territories.

Douglas College, one of our Institution Partners, offers a one-year Post Degree Diploma (PDD) in Project Management. In only one-year, students will master the necessary knowledge and best practices in Project Management, preparing them to pass certification exam and be a Certified Associate of Project Management (CAPM), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Project Management-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP). According to PMI, certified individuals earn as much as 25% more than their peers without the credential.

Located in the vibrant cities of New Westminster and Coquitlam - part of Metro Vancouver, British Columbia - Douglas College is one of the province’s largest degree-granting colleges known for its affordable fees and high-quality education with emphasis on experiential learning and job-readiness.

Interested to learn more and apply for PDD Project Management? Apply here .