Employers

Approximately 414,400 computer and information systems managers are employed in the United States. Since nearly every industry utilizes Information Technology, there are a wide array of employers for project managers—ranging from corporations and small- and medium-sized businesses, to government agencies, to nonprofit organizations. Some project managers launch their own consulting businesses.

Starting Out

The position of IT project manager is typically not entry-level. Most people become project managers after obtaining experience as software and hardware engineers or designers, database specialists, computer support specialists, systems analysts, network administrators, or in other IT careers—and then working in lower-level management positions.

Once you obtain this experience, you can learn more about job openings by checking out employment Web sites, attending networking events, joining professional associations, working with recruiters, and visiting the Web sites of target employers to see what types of opportunities are available.

Project managers can advance to become chief technology officers, who assess new technology and determine how it can help their organizations. Chief technology officers with both business and technological acumen can become chief information officers (CIOs), who are responsible for all aspects of their company’s information technology. Many CIOs advance to executive level positions—such as CEO and chief operating officer—at their companies. Some project managers become freelance consultants.

Read ACM CareerNews (https://www.acm.org/articles/careernews) to learn more about careers in Information Technology.

Visit the following Web sites for job listings:

• https://www.pmi.org/learning/careers
• http://jobs.acm.org
• https://jobs.computer.org

Work in lower-level management jobs to build experience.

Earn the project management professional credential from the Project Management Institute to improve your skills and increase your chances of landing a job.