I have been in project management in IT for the last 10 years and I came from industry experience as a domain/subject matter expert. I did PMP and Agile Certification but of late I am experiencing comments from my team and recruiters that I am not technical Project Manager. I do not have any technical qualification as such other than domain certifications with an academic doctorate. I am in mid forties and not sure what technology to learn now to keep up in the job market for 10 more years. I understand the importance of technical knowledge in project management, client interaction, issue resolution and team communication in estimations but not sure where to start. Please suggest some specific course/training to increase my chances of employment.
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Do you plan to code? Or you are more interested into having a deeper understanding by first hand experience as well as certification? If the latter try anything you fancy on sites like Udemy or Udacity...– Alex JeanJan 16, 2018 at 3:11
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to answer the title of your question - I would suggest you check job postings and select a few dozens that you would be interested in that were published in your area in the last 6 months. And do the hand counting of what techs /languages the job posters were looking for. Otherwise please rephrase your question.– Alex JeanJan 16, 2018 at 3:16
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3This is an XY problem. The Y problem, "Which do I learn?", is opinion-based and thus voting to close. The underlying problem, though, seems to be "My Team thinks I'm not technical enough, how do I maintain credibility?", which seems more valid to me.– SarovJan 16, 2018 at 14:15
1 Answer
I can understand your situation. I would suggest you to understand the technical stack that is being implemented in your current project. As a technical project manager, the management and the team would expect you to help the team during the Design, Estimation, and during the Support phase. This is because this is where your technical expertise would be of help to them. However, when you receive comments from your team, understand their expectation. Do not fret. It happens. They would not know many things that you know. So, be happy.
That's the reason why I am suggesting you to enlist the entire technical stack of your current project and arrive at the distribution of technology.
The next step is to find the best resource(s) available in the public domain that would help you gear up. There are lot many tutorial websites or boot-camps that either free or commercial that could help you achieve your goal.
Do not lose your confidence and at the same time, apply all your interpersonal skills to keep going. It will help you in the long run.
I have seen many project managers sail smoothly only by applying their interpersonal skills. Sharpen your soft skills. Remember, never lose your confidence.
Hope this helps you.
