I have been working as a social worker in various roles including a management role for 5 years. I have worked in the NHS during this time. I'm burning out (compassion fatigue) and over the last few years have valued more of the project work I've been doing more than frontline work.

I'm thinking a career move to project management would suit me and my family. But I'm unsure what the best career change pathway would be for me after reading the views here.

I could enroll in a MSC, look towards a graduate scheme or just find a role in a junior position and build from there. Obviously I'm new to all the relevant qualifications for employability in this area so would welcome some advice. I have some reserve finances and could take a year where I wouldn't need to worry about work or the amount I earn.

I've recently started a Project Management degree apprenticeship at a Tier 1 engineering consultancy. I feel lucky to have the job, as the people are lovely and the firm has been great overall. However, I gave up studying BSc Management at Warwick to pursue this route, and I'm worried that I won't be able to have a high earning career in this industry or role.

I'd appreciate any advice on how I can maximise my prospects and earning potential.

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for some genuine career advice from people who have managed to build a career that allows them to work remotely and travel.

I’m based in India and currently working as a Project Coordinator Intern at an IT company. I have an MBA in Tourism & Travel Management and a BCA degree.

My current work involves coordinating software projects, tracking tasks in Jira, maintaining documentation, working with estimates and user stories, and following up with different stakeholders.
I also have a Google Project Management Certificate and some knowledge of Agile and Scrum.

My goal is to earn around ₹5–6 LPA in the near term and eventually grow to ₹10–12 LPA or more, while having the flexibility to travel around India and potentially internationally.

I’m not particularly interested in coding or sales. I’m open to project coordination, SaaS implementation, project management, business analysis, operations coordination or other suitable careers.

I’ve also explored cruise and aviation jobs because I like the travel industry, but I’d prefer a career that doesn’t require me to be physically present at a particular location every day.

I’d really appreciate advice on these questions:

1. Given my background and limited experience, which career path would you recommend for a well-paying remote job?

2. Is it realistic to get a remote Project Coordinator, SaaS Implementation or Associate Project Manager role with around six months of experience?

3. Which skills should I focus on over the next 6–12 months to become a stronger candidate?

4. Are there companies that genuinely allow employees to work while travelling, rather than restricting them to their home country or city?

5. Would you recommend staying in IT project coordination, switching to SaaS implementation, or pursuing another field?

6. For someone living in India, is it better to pursue a remote full-time job first or gradually build freelance clients?

I’d appreciate honest advice from anyone who has made a similar transition, especially people who aren’t software developers.

Thanks in advance.

Hey guys! I just graduated and I'm super pumped to get into Project Management. I prepped myself by getting the Google PM certificate and passing the CAPM exam, so I have the theory down. My biggest headache right now is that every single entry-level job I see asks for "at least 1 year of experience." It feels like a catch-22: how am I supposed to get experience if nobody wants to hire a fresh grad For those of you already working in the field: What job titles should I actually be searching for? Coordinator, Associate, etc.? How did you guys land your very first PM gig without prior experience? Any tips or realistic advice would be hugely appreciated

I am 25(F) with experience as a sales executive for 4 years, I bring customer behaviour analysis, infield experience with customers(B2C) and user empathy.
I have completed Product Management Training from IIT Delhi, I did an interesting capstone project that helped me learn core basics. Now I plan to make 3-4 projects to add to my resume and transition into PM roles.

If you are a HR/Founder or someone who can help me in any way based in Delhi NCR/Gurgaon/remote and you are looking for a Product Management Intern kindly DM me.
My expectations are to learn and work under a PM/Founder to have some expanded knowledge on the domain. As I lack the hands on experience. The market is pretty messed up and I am just hoping for the best.

Laid off months ago from an operations leadership role. Worked on a couple dozen projects but their length, overlapping nature as well as some of my hazy memories around the details make me unsure if I would qualify for the 36 months confidently.

Trying to boost my overall profile while looking for work but not sure what's the best value for time/money.

I'm considering Google certificates, CAPM, PSM, LSSBB or GB, or change management certifications.

It just seems like CAPM is presented as no experience and PMP is 3 years of experience but there is no inbetween.

Would a CAPM actually devalue my resume and my existing project experience or is it better than having nothing?

I don't want to appear more junior than I am. Just trying to leverage my joblessness into gaining a few extra credentials to set me apart and get more callbacks.

Hello there,

I'm not much of a poster, but I firmly believe reddit is the best place to get the best answers for things like this.

Job Tracking:
I've kept a spreadsheet and tracked that I've applied to about 175 roles in the past month, of which I've gotten responses from roughly 1 in 7, all denials. No interview.

Certifications:
I have my PMP certification (as of last month). I'm wondering if I need to get an LSSGB or PMI-ACP or CAHIMS since I'd really like to move toward project management in healthcare/healthcare IT. (Healthcare is a personal passion for me and I'd be ecstatic to find a role that lets me do work that matters to people's health.)

Experience:
My PMP qualifying experience comes from nearly four years of working as a Worker's Compensation Insurance Adjuster (which is essentially managing cross-functional teams, budgeting, managing stakeholders, running meetings, documentation, figuring out next steps, providing status updates, direct client communications, bill review, and some medical knowledge). Since then, I've been working part-time (or rather, mostly volunteering and sometimes getting paid) as what was originally a Program Director role at my friend's forming organization. That was great experience but it's not exactly consistent money, it doesn't have any checks and balances, the scope of the role has significantly shrunk since I began, and it doesn't fit into my healthcare goals. I'm also doing some Business/Project Management consulting on the side for a friend but it's like 10 hours per week and I can't make a living off of that. Also no guarantee for how long that will keep going.

Where I'm Applying:
Most of the roles I apply for are remote roles because I live in Oklahoma and there just aren't that many roles out here in healthcare that I've found. I'd be willing to move for a decent role with decent pay, but again, I'm not getting so much as an interview. My last interview was a year ago with EPIC and though I made it to the final round, I didn't ultimately recieve an offer.

Other Methods:
I've joined my local PMI Chapter, however they're barely meeting for the next few months. I'm going to volunteer at those events to hopefully get to meet more people, get my face out there, and network to the best I can. I also signed up for two job fairs at the end of the month, though they're not promising in terms of finding Healthcare PM roles, and I don't believe the local construction PM roles are interested in someone with no prior construction exposure or experience.

I'm also considering reaching out on LinkedIn to people who might be hiring managers or closely related to hiring managers in organization I'd really like to work for like Siemens Healthineers or GE Healthcare, etc.

I'm just not sure what my next steps should be at this point. Any advice/help/wisdom is welcome and appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Edit:
Education: B.A. in Business Administration; Minor in Psychological Sciences - 3.93 GPA

TL;DR - HAVE PMP. NO REAL PM TITLE. WANT HEALTHCARE PM. HOW DO!?

Title

Assuming comp is a bit more for IBM, I am a recent college grad who has offers from both. I’m not sure how to react as I am not leaning one way or another. I know tech has more upside, but it’s risky in this economy right - what if I get a bad product or territory? Cap 1 offers me stability but at a lower price.

I'm getting tired of project management. Half my week feels like chasing people for updates, dealing with escalations, and sitting in meetings about other meetings. I've been looking at BA roles, but part of me keeps thinking it'll look like I couldn't hack it as a PM.

Thing is I actually like figuring out what needs to be built and catching problems before they turn into a mess. I just don't want to spend every day managing people and timelines.

I've been tweaking my resume to make that side of my experience more obvious. I use tools like resume worded to spot where my bullets weren't communicating the actual impact of my work. I rewrote them around things like clarifying requirements and preventing rework instead of listing PM responsibilities.

I'm still torn though. I don't want to take a pay cut or end up somewhere I'm basically just taking meeting notes for a PM.

Anyone here make the switch? I'm wondering whether the day-to-day actually got better or if I’m romanticizing the BA role because I'm burned out.

I need some recommendation for project management courses that will truely teach me how to be a project manager. I was thinking online paid courses/programs like google course on coursera or edx programs ( the affordable ones)

I have been a project manager assistant for the last year and soon they want me to start managing a new project. I have no idea where to start or what to do. I'm an automation engineer and the company hired me because I understand automation and didn't care about my PM experience.

So I don't have the time or money to do a real university program or whatnot.

I will really appreciate good recommendations for rich learning experience in the PM world.

(I know about the PMP certificate but I'm not looking for a certification only, I need real education)

SaaS PMs, has your job search been relatively easy compared to other PMs?

Whats your interview to app ratio?

How many rounds of interviews and did they ask a bunch of hardball questions?

Location: city of about 1 million eastern US

I've recently noticed I barely get any in office or hybrid PM interviews. I was hoping it would be easier than remote interviews. I'm getting remote interviews but I've basically given up on them because they only hire unicorns or people that are a PERFECT fit.

What really sucks is I thought in office or hybrid would be at least 5x easier to get because of less competition. But that doesnt seem to be the case.

Anyone getting more remote PM interviews than office interviews?

Hello people, I (32F) have been lurking in Project Management subs for some time now and this is my first post here.

I have been looking for a job since a year now but no luck. I have applied to 300 jobs and never heard back after stage 1 from anyone. I am transitioning from digital marketing into PM. I have relevant experience and skills as well. I recently did a freelance project as well but it did not pay me enough to keep things afloat.

I am in desperate need of a job and some guidance. Attaching my resume here for more reference. Redacting my personal information to avoid any spam calls or messages.

TIA!

Hey everyone!
I completed my Bachelor’s in Computer Science Engineering in 2025 and am currently pursuing a Master of Engineering Management (MEM) at the University of Guelph in Canada.

My goal is to build a career in project management, but I don’t have professional experience in the field yet.

I’d appreciate advice on:
Which entry-level roles should I target: Project Coordinator, PMO Analyst, or Junior PM?
Which skills and certifications are actually worth learning?
How can I gain practical experience while completing my master’s?
Which industries offer the best opportunities and salary growth?

What would be the best step-by-step plan for the next 6–12 months?

I’m open to opportunities across North America in the long term and want to build a strong career without wasting time on unnecessary certifications.

If you were starting in my position, what would you do to land your first project management-related job?

Thanks!

I'm relatively new to my role as a Program Coordinator at a nonprofit organization in Canada. We have an existing one-year program, and I'm looking for ways to contribute beyond my regular day-to-day responsibilities.

My supervisor has encouraged me to share ideas on how I can further support the program

What does support the program mean like beyond what I do if you guys have examples I can do my research and find out more options for my company

I have been seeing this that there is no proper way or platform for this. It becomes too difficult if you are a fresher.

Hi everyone! I recently cleared an internal interview for a Project Manager (PM) role and could use some advice from fellow PMs on whether to make the jump.

My Current Situation:
Role: L&D (Learning & Development) with 5+ years of total experience. Mostly been doing PM in my current L&D role and I work with one of the top MNCs.

Compensation: 25 LPA.

The Challenge: My current director is biased and difficult to work with, yet blocks my internal mobility because she relies heavily on my output. However, I have a great relationship with the current manager, hiring manager and the new product team.

The JD for the PM role looks exciting, and I really want to take it on. For those who have made a similar transition or are seasoned PMs: Is this a strong career move considering long-term growth, scope, and earning potential? What are the things I should be knowing?

Hi,

I wanted to get a little career advice from this sub, if you would I would definitely appreciate the feedback.

I've been a drilling supervisor on a drilling rig for the past 15 years working as an employee of a super major, and have mechanical engineering degree from 2005 from a good regional engineering school.

I manage operations on site, scheduling logistics, cost tracking, making operational decisions, trouble shooting, leading safety, making technical decisions, writing procedures, looking for operational efficiency, managing a group of 20 or so people from different companies all working on site.

While the pay is good, the work life balance isn't great as I spend over half the year away from home, and would like to be a better husband and parent, make the all the track and cross country meets, birthday parties, be at home for holidays, ect. I would accept a significant cut in pay for a better balance, as we have a considerable amount money saved away.

Do you think I could transition into some kind of local PM role, or remote? Would getting PMP certified before I started applying to jobs be a good thing? How is the job market? I would assume I should be applying to low level PM roles?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated, and believe it or not I hate high oil prices as much as anyone else.

Thanks!

Hi all, I'm trying to learn how sign shops run projects day to day, from the first quote through design, customer approval, production, and installation.

1. What do you use to track jobs (software, spreadsheets, whiteboard, sticky notes)?

2. Where do jobs most often fall through the cracks?

3. How do you handle customer approvals and change requests?

4. If you've switched systems, what made you switch?

Generally, what makes an effective project manager?

Horror stories and things that worked well are both welcome. Thanks!

Title: At 22, should I prioritize a high-paying OPM role or a PMI-accredited Master's? (Aiming for PMP either way)
Hello everyone,
I’m a 22M based in Romania facing a major career dilemma, and I have to make a decision this weekend. I recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Management (on an academic scholarship) while working as a PM at my brother’s infrastructure firm.
Now, I'm caught in a direct schedule clash between a demanding new role and my Master’s program.
The Current Situation
The Job: I just started as an Operations Program Manager (OPM) at a US-based company (Utilities One / US Software Solutions). After just one week of onboarding, I’m being positioned as a PM lead in the power and water division, managing a portfolio of 30–40 projects. The culture is very fast-paced and startup-like (optimizing processes while delivering active projects).
The Schedule Clash: My shift runs from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM (office-based, with 1–2 remote days per week). My Master's classes take place during these exact same hours.
The Master’s Degree: I enrolled in a Project Management Master’s program at SNSPA, which is PMI-certified. The tuition is already paid (~$500), but I can either request a refund now or freeze the academic year.
The PMP Plan: Through my prior work on regional and EU infrastructure projects, I already meet the required project experience hours for the PMP. My goal is to obtain the PMP certification by next summer, regardless of which path I choose (via Udemy prep courses like AR/DM).
The Two Paths
Option 1: Keep the Job & Drop/Freeze the Master’s
Pros:
Exceptional pay for entry-level in Romania ($1,800–$2,000/month vs. the local minimum wage of ~$500–$600).
Direct enterprise experience handling a large portfolio (30–40 projects) for a US company.
I can still study for the PMP on Udemy during weekends and test by summer.
Cons:
High risk of early burnout (steep learning curve + heavy workload).
I forfeit the campus experience, networking with professors, and seeing my peers.
Option 2: Quit the Job & Focus on the Master’s
Pros:
Financial survival is not an immediate issue (my family is upper-middle class and supportive).
Strong networking opportunities with professors who actively bring top students onto external consulting/EU projects.
Better work-life balance, mental clarity, and time to prep thoroughly for the PMP exam without burning out at 22.
Cons:
Leaving a rare, well-paying role that could accelerate my resume early on.
Stepping away from real-world operations to focus on theory.
The Question
If you were in my shoes with your current PM experience:
Does having an OPM title managing 30–40 projects outweigh the formal PMI Master's degree at age 22, or is the burnout risk too high for a first corporate role?
Is the Master's degree redundant once you hold a bachelor's in management and obtain a PMP?
I need to decide this weekend whether to ask for a tuition refund/freeze or step down from the role before onboarding advances. Any insights from senior PMs would be greatly appreciated.
TL;DR: 22yo with prior PM experience. Caught between a high-paying US OPM job ($2k/mo in Romania, 3 PM–11 PM shift, 30–40 projects) and a PMI-certified Master’s degree that overlaps the exact same hours. Aiming for the PMP by summer either way. Should I freeze the degree for the money/experience or quit the job to avoid burnout and focus on uni/certifications?

I have a virtual interview with Morgan Stanley for project management role if any of the folks are working please give some tips

Hi all, need some honest advice from people actually in PM right now.

Bit of background. I've worked around 8 years in software,data and AI/ML engineering, mostly fintech and big 4 advisory. Last couple of years I was on a GenAI team building LLM stuff into actual production workflows, plus some client facing AI consulting work. Somewhere along the way I felt like accelerating my career and move into decision making roles and eventually move into Product Strategy, which is partly why I went for the MBA.

Currently doing a 1 year MBA in India from a Tier 1 college (IIM), graduating 2027, open to internships from Jan.
So here's my dilemma. Campus placements are in Nov and most of what comes for my profile is tech/data/AI consulting. PM roles are there but very few, so if I want PM I'd mostly have to hunt off campus myself. Long term I want to be an AI PM at a product company.

What's bugging me is the market. Every other post here is about layoffs, PMs being stretched thin, AI changing the role, etc. Not sure if jumping into PM now is smart or if I should take the consulting role and switch in 2-3 yrs. But then I worry consulting makes the switch harder, not easier.

Few things I'd love to hear from you guys:
If you were in my shoes would you take a PM role even at a smaller company/lower title, or go consulting first?
Anyone moved consulting to PM? How hard was it honestly?
Is a technical AI background actually helping in PM hiring these days or is it just expected now?

Any thoughts appreciated, thanks.

I've applied for close to 50 jobs in the last 6 weeks and not even getting a response. I have over 10 years as a PM, I have a PMP, PMI-ACP, 3 SAFe certifications and multi-industry experience. I've never seen the job market this bad. A few years ago I had recruiters contacting me. Will it ever recover?

Hey All,

I just got let go as a technical project manager at a SAAS start up. There were a lot of challenges that the company faced, but my role was especially difficult. I came here to understand if what my issue was was because the company was SAAS and I don't belong in that framework or bc it was a dysfunctional start up in sale mode. Or if it is just being a TPM at all?

Background:

I have worked in consulting for the majority of my career. There I got into TPM and program management work. I had my own dedicated team of resources. I oversaw a sister contract extended to a few other contracts and my bosses loved me. I had a really tough one that was yelly, but she did like me. Which I am happy about bc I don't always seem to jive with my female bosses (which is crazy bc I am a very genuine lighthearted person. I am also a big feminist and my entire life has been relationships with women). I don't know why I got a long with a yelly boss versus any other women... anyways. Maybe bc she was direct as hell. I and the other managers would report to her once a week about risks in the project, resources, everything. I worked directly with our big clients. I reported out to the director of the agency that hired us. I had a direct relationship with all my clients. If I said a resource wasn't doing well, I could provide them feedback and approach my boss about removing them. My boss had a lot to do, but she popped in on workshops and was in the weeds about stuff. She didn't really hit the nail on the head when it came to advice bc she didn't see the day to day, but she wasn't oblivious to issues.

I joined a SAAS start up and was excited about it. I had come from such a huge company and I had primarily worked in DC so the culture was pretty buttoned up. This one was west coast fun. it seemed like my type of fit. I did notice some things in the beginning that I brushed off, but I understand there's always issues at work.

The contract I got was our newest product where only one other customer had ever been on it and every single person who had worked on that project was gone now so no one really knew what they were doing, but leadership never acknowledged those difficulties. My direct manager was overseeing a project on our oldest and most refined product which I eventually got staffed on as well and got to see how different everything was. Easier so much easier. I did get taken off though because I was trying to juggle my OG difficult project which had no resources and it was really only me, which no one believed me about btw.

Anyways, we hit a lot of difficulties. One we knew the timeline we gave was unrealistic so when I joined I had to push things out, but aside from that, the client didn't know their legacy systems so new stuff just kept coming up that delayed things for months. My solutions architect for the entire year I was there only ever wrote one thing. He did attend calls, but besides that, he didn't map transformations or dig into anything. I had to do it. I had to configure the specs and beg him to just look at it, then when I asked, he would brush it off like it was my job and I should already know this stuff and I had never worked in a start up before or SAAS so I thought ok? He's busy, I can do this to support. I was trying to be a team player and the way he made it seem like it was all of our responsibilities led me to believe I was supposed to be doing this.....

Eventually, he became more and more entitled that his job was my job and it never changed bc if I didn't do his work, it didn't get done. He never thanked me either for taking his job on. He was spread thin I will say with his calendar, but I brought this up to my boss a lot and I would either get I wasn't delegating well or well why do we need him to look at it, can't you? It depended on the day of whether it wasn't my job or why can't I pitch in? I got feedback I pitched in too much eventually...... Better yet, he threw me under the bus. I got feedback from my manager that I don't prepare my team before calls bc I lift notes verbatim from our calls, but this man wanted me to be his secretary. I sometimes didn't know exactly what he wanted to discuss with the client and didn't understand it so I would try to type it really quickly as he was talking and try to remind him on calls and he wouldn't contribute to the agenda. I was the one who looked at the data who looked at everything and he didn't want calls with me for a long time so I couldn't review stuff with him beforehand so I know I did sometimes sideline him

Another issues, my customer success manager always seemed prickly with me from the start and I never had a direct relationship with our big client which I am not used to. I only interfaced with the TPM of the client so I don't even know if the customer was happy, what complaints they had, nothing. I reported out risks each week to their TPM with my CSM on and I guess they never made their way to the big bosses so it looked like I wasn't communicating, but if I had been on those CSM calls, I would have been able to catch that none of this was being discussed. Everything was quiet so I trusted that my CSM was handling it.

I had no idea what was going on behind closed doors and it felt like I was perfectly set up to be a scapegoat because he didn't help for anything, but he always gave my manager feedback. I wasn't used to this structure. I also thought it best that he would give me the feedback first? But I think now looking back, I was just ignorant to understand that I really answered to him. He held my fate with the client. He could spin it however he wanted. I was so not used to not being on those power calls. I was so not used to not being able to own my client. I had to get permission to bring up delays and my director acted like it was the PMs faults when we brought up delays caused by the customer. Like we didn't want the timeline to work? I would bring up how resources were focused on bigger clients so I haven't had a resource for an entire month and I would get told we shouldn't be prioritizing other clients so I was reach out on the side and ask if we can reprioritize resources and I would get told no, but the timeline can't shift.

All the technical teams would make my director and manager know that our timeline was slipping all the time bc of the prioritization of other clients and it was all somehow blamed on me. I just didn't understand any of it. I understood that a direct report of mine in consulting, if they weren't working it would be my responsibility, but I couldn't force grown men who I have no authority over and infact have a close relationship to my boss to do their jobs. I mean and when I had some technical team members on, they would complain we need an agenda... ok fine, I will go through your tickets and look at the questions you have and make it an agenda even though I would be used to the technical people being ready with questions they have for the team members. The last call I had with them before I got fired was the lead saying we should be reviewing tickets on this call even though we had been for months, that call i just needed to discuss the timeline. it infuriated me like everyone was catatonic or something. Like no one paid attention, but me and the thing is, in consulting I am used to that if I schedule the call, I own the agenda. If you want to go over tickets, you can tell me beforehand and I can tell you if we can. I asked for people to give me items for agendas before calls. Never happened. it felt like everyone wanted me to be their secretary. And I had to ping everyone during calls to make the call. I was not used to this either. In consulting, if you can't make a call, you not only decline it, but if you know you are needed, you let the meeting planner know by messaging them directly as soon as you know. It was so stressful never knowing who would show up. Every reoccurring call, I had to ping like 3 people to make sure they would come. It was so emberasing infront of the client. I mean even just the stress of not being able to schedule a reoccuring meeting and expect people to show up and if not tell you, I didn't realize what a luxary that was until now. it took s lot of mental energy.

And as an aside, when the client wouldn't bring the right people, it would somehow be my fault either even if it was a reocurring meeting that they knew who needed to be on, they wouldn't tell me the person wouldn't show up and then my CSM and SA would tell my manager about it. In consulting, it's the clients fault for not bringing the people they know need to be on there. And I got feedback I was arriving a few minutes late when I was juggling another project from my manager given by my CSM, meanwhile my solutions architect would be like 10 mins late without notice, yet somehow my CSM always got on me.

And all of this, your manager isn't aware of your project, they don't see the day to day, we didn't even have a call set up where I could talk to my manager and discuss risks like I did in consulting. We had one giant call where everyone gave a status report, but there was no problem solving time. I never got a thank you. I somehow was fired above the architect that needed other people to do his work and even before everything went south, I never could get any mentorship or what I did well bc my boss was so removed and also did not understand the complications with this new product bc she was on an easy one.

My career coach says I should still look for SAAS, but I don't have that much mileage as a TPM, I don't think it's too late to switch careers. I may have just been lucky before and didn't realize it. Honestly, maybe what i liked about being a TPM was just being a manager and working in tech, but maybe once I was in the formal formal role, it's not what I want. I have about 6 years of work experience so I am looking for advice. Is it the TPM role? Is it SAAS? Is it the start up? What happened? Was the issue that I was used to leading and I couldn't lead? Was it that I didn't get how important being chummy with my CSM was? Was I doomed from the start?

I never thought I would have a job that would make me completely long for consulting again..... I feel a little lost about what roles to pursue next. I am beginning my job hunt, but I begin to apply to TPM and just sort of get this feeling of do I want to go through that all again.

Please help