PC Support to Project Management?

Question

I don't know any programming languages, but I have 7 years of PC support (tiers 1 and 2), some at the state government level. What would I need to get certified in, or go back to school for to transition over to IT project management? Should I just start knocking out IT certifications and get my MA in Finance? Thoughts?

Answer 1

You need a PMP certification to get into Project Management. Masters in management would help too.

Answer 2

I am an IT Project Manager and I went through the same path as you. I went from the help desk to server support, and then managed pc deployments. Next I managed an entire server departed and then I got into IT PM work. I do not have my PMP although I have taken PM classes. Alot of it is paperwork based and metrics related and I can tell you I found my job much more fufilling when I actually did something. You may find the same thing. I would take that leap into management within IT before I branched over to PM work, it will give you experience to pull from. It's alot easier to allocate resources and estimate time when you have a clue what the tasks entail. It also helps you when working with system administrators when you are architecting new systems

Answer 3

A good project manager can manage anything. I would get a Master's Certification in Project Management. That way you can manage construction projects, office upgrade projects, IT projects, etc. You will be more versatile this way. If you want to concentrate on the technical side of things, Project management may not be what you want to do. Remember, they are responsible for costs, hiring, budgets, etc. In other words, they are responsible for EVERYTHING related to a project.

Answer 4

For project management, you'll want to get PMP certification (Project Management Professional). To obtain this, you have to take some tests, but more importantly, you have to log actual project management hours...quite a bit.

Check out the Project Management Institute for more information.