Crystal Lewis
University of Phoenix
My final project topic of choice is project management. I chose this topic because of the vast amount of employment opportunities that are available with this career. Project managers can work on anything from construction planning to software design. Whatever your interests may be project managing can be for you.
Throughout high school I had two interests; Information technology and accounting. The desire to work in information technology was greater so shortly after high school I enrolled in a technical school. Unfortunately that school was not the best choice or the right time for me so I stopped attending. I began working full-time and did so for a number of years. I eventually began doing more things involving finance and continued down the road to finance. When I enrolled with the University of Phoenix I was pursuing my bachelors in accounting but shortly changed it to Information Technology to complete what I had started ten years ago.
This paper will outline the specifics of a career in project management. I will discuss a variety of things to include salary, job requirements and characteristics as these are the things I hope to learn more about.
Abstract
Project managers are to serve as an information passageway helping information flow from the team up to senior management. Part of the job is to have a great understanding of the work in progress in order to summarize to management for decision making. This information is critical in order for senior management to make an intelligent decision. Project objectives that are not fully met usually result in failure. Corporations seek project managers to implement successful systems that succeed. This paper will discuss and display the research regarding project management; the steps to becoming a successful project manager and the steps involved to enter this demanding career.
Microsoft Visio Diagram
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Survey Summary
After conducting the survey and reviewing the results I concluded the average age group of the participants was between 18 and 34. Of the five participants only one fell within a higher age group. Four out of the five participants had a degree with the majority receiving an associate’s degree. The one participant without a degree did however obtain his/her GED equivalent. The field of study varied between all participants involved in the survey showing a diverse group was involved in the survey. However two of the participants held degrees in the accounting field. Four out of five participants were currently employed in their field of study. The other participant was actively seeking employment and happened to be the participant with his/her GED equivalent. This study seems to prove that persons with a degree are more likely to find and hold a job versus those without a degree.
Influences came as a surprise with this survey. The majority of the participants stated their major influence for choosing a particular career path was salary and benefits. Of the five participants only two stated passion as their main influence. Two out of five participants were extremely sure they had chosen the appropriate career path with the other two being unsure due to unhappiness in their field. Given that; maybe it is better to choose a career you are passionate about versus choosing a career because of the high salary and benefits?
Research did not seem to play a huge role in choosing a school and degree program with the majority of the participants taking only two to six months. The average time to find placement after obtaining the degree was two to six months as well. The participant that did not obtain a degree stated after completion of his/her GED permanent placement fell between seven and twelve months.
After examining the results of this survey the conclusion I have came to