Author: Nadia Sunny, WMPMI
Dr. Ledlow stopped by the booth we were setting up, with Hobbs the Huskie. He is the current Principal for Portage Northern High School and Hobbs is their therapy dog. From WMPMI (wmpmi.org) 9-12 Academic Outreach, we were able to join in the Career Expo April 18, 2024.
Over 40 high schoolers, stopped by our booth, crowding the seating arrangement and standing around our booth, asking all curious questions. They ranged from freshmen to seniors. Their career interests ranged over the spectrum you can think of.
We were there to talk about Project Management as a career path and the certifications with PMI that help grow in this career. We also wanted for them to know - there are PMI programs for high school students that prepare them to get the first certification soon as they graduate high school. That alone can kick start an aspiring professional career for a youngster that pays around 50k; it only goes up from there. Thanks a ton to Patricia Brown-May, MBA, PMP and Steve Pieczko who, in a really short notice, made it easy for me to run the show.
WMPMI Team Volunteering in PNHS Career Expo, April 2024
I predicted, and saw the clear proof, that not a lot of young students, and even their adult mentors, are aware that Project Management (PM) is now a long term career path and a high in demand job in today’s market. Only 2 students expressed familiarity with this role. Sounds like a job security for us, doesn't it? It is a loss for the employers though. At this point in time, most Fortune companies are driving their growth targets in a project based model. The demand is in every industry and hence the compensation is lucrative as well. Here is some quick information from a 2023 survey in 21 countries from 20 thousand PM practitioners:
- 33% reported higher median salaries on average
- 66% received an increase in total compensation
- 61% received a raise of 5% or higher
- Many found PMP certification a significant contributor to their career growth.
In addition, another not-so-known fact is the diversity of skillsets and degrees that are welcome in the world of project management. Most of the students were not aware that a engineer, a finance professional, a software developer, a construction contractor, a healthcare professional - all can choose to become project managers. We were able to convey that message and highlight that the role of a PM requires its own competence and professionalism, which in turn, contributes to its demand and higher pay. We also brought up that many of the PM roles have remote work opportunity, which seems like an incentive these days for the new generations coming into the work force.
For me, personally, it was a blast! As always, I got energy from public speaking, got energized from meeting all the young minds and and their interactions. Also felt fulfilled from sharing knowledge with them and inspiring them to a prosperous opportunity that is there. As I used my props– a car, a surgical helmet, a flash light and an imaginary bank product – to drive the conversation on how a project manager adds value in launching a new product or an improvement, it was amazing to see how their thoughts lit up.
Talking on value addition by a PM for launching a new car model
Even though the concept was new to most of them, they started asking the right questions and were calibrating the concept in the scale of competitive jobs they had in mind:
- Where can one work with that certification?
- What do they do everyday?
- What kind of degree does one need to become a PM?
- Does Western Michigan (the local university) offer a degree on this?
- What are the work hours like?
- Does it pay well?
It was great to see their curiosity and engagement. My take away was:
- The high schools have this wide open opportunity to publicize/ popularize Project Management as one of the top jobs in today's corporate market and top skillset in any venture.
WMPMI 9-12 Academic Outreach is ready to bring this to all the interested high schools.
The event was participated by many popular companies, including Fortune 500 ones and Military. Dr. Ledlow appreciated our initiative of bringing the PM concept to high schoolers. Organizers from PNHSdid an impressive job setting up the floor with logistics and accessories needed. At the end, one of them commented, "Your booth looked busy the whole time." Meanwhile, a couple of other presenters stopped by and shared their interest in taking PMP certification exam. It was really fulfilling for us to give back!
Author: Nadia Sunny
Director, Academic Outreach - 9-12 HS
WMPMI Chapter Board
email: