It may be a dream job for some people - during recent talks with a headhunter based in Jakarta, it is revealed that the profession is in very high demand and after the pandemic triggered lots of businesses to go online and digital-based. Are you one of the aspiring IT project managers?

IT project manager is a profession that comes with its own opportunities and challenges. An IT project manager is responsible for an organization’s information technology initiatives, through technological strategies. It covers some strategic tasks, such as:

• Anticipating the organisation’s IT needs and coming  up with the solution, in line with the business goals 

• Improving cybersecurity strategies to protect the company

• Managing computer network infrastructure within the organization 

• Recruitment, onboarding and training of IT staff members

• Building his IT team well and evaluate their performance

• Scheduling the renewal and upgrade of the company’s software programs 

• Providing backup systems for company operations

• Monitoring employee access to the network, for the sake of data security

An IT project manager is commonly viewed as a mid-level position, so it is natural that corporations expect the aspiring IT project manager to have a bachelor’s degree in addition to skill certifications and work experience. 

More than just equipped by the degrees and certifications, you also need to own some skills should you want your career to establish permanently. 

Aside from owning the knowledge in IT’s technical side, you also need to have project management skills (through online project management to meet project deliverables), strategic thinking skills (to identify the business impact of a decision), risk management, and of course, communication. 

Yes, gone are the days when IT people are pictured as a bunch of nerds that can talk better to a set of computers compared to another human being. 

IT project managers these days must be able to communicate well in order to be seen by others as “the spiders in the web” - the one they can go to, as he/she owns the expertise they need. 

If you’re still in college or university, it’s best to try gaining as much working experience as possible during your education times, so you’ll graduate with both a degree and experience to offer to your next employer. 

And next, just because you have a shiny internship experience in the IT field, don’t be allergic to starting humbly at the entry level. It is okay to start out your career as a technician first, and show your employer that you can consistently get the job done on a smaller scale. 

Find a senior within that organisation that you view as a mentor and show them your career aspirations - they may hold the key to transition you into a project manager role in the future. 

Even when you’re not working as a manager yet, do daily tasks with a managerial mindset. This will help get you in the mindset of being organized and following best practices. Create a project plan, identify key milestones, track your progress, etc. See you on top!