Career path for an Information System Management graduate?

Question

I'm an Information System Management graduate from a British university. I had many migration in my life. So after my graduation, I moved to Canada and I tried to find a job for more than 3 months but I was not successful. So I went back to my home country and started teaching in a college, however after 2 years of struggling I was not able to live there, so I've decided to go back to Canada. I made lots of mistakes and was misled by many professionals in my field. So I tried to take a Project Management course and sit for PMP but unfortunately I didn't pass the exam and also I found it very frustrating to find a job as a project manager without required experience. Therefore with my knowledge gained from studying for PMP exam, I applied for project coordinator opportunities. I went to many interviews but no chance. After two years of wasting time, now I'm very tired and lost and really don't know what to do. Some people advised me to get a job as QA which I don't have any related experience. I need help and would be grateful if you share your experiences with me.

Answer 1

I feel your pain. There are few things more frustrating than getting a degree in a field only to discover you need experience.

I'm going to assume you are young enough for the advice I'm about to give you; meaning if you are approaching retirement age, say 50 to 60, then I would have a different response.

In seeking the job you want it helps to have as many of the following as possible (these are NOT listed in order of importance):

1. An energetic personality
2. Well dressed, well spoken and well written
3. Have connections, know folks who can help you get in a door
4. Have references; folks who can vouch for your expertise and character, if asked
5. Actually have aptitude and skill in what you profess to know
6. Be trained in your craft and have the paper to prove it. This might mean going to trade-school to supplement your university education
7. Willing to work hard and be a problem solver. I mean look for extra work when your work is done. Always asking what else you can do -- or do better
8. Be punctual. Show up early, leave late and do it with a smile
9. Have some volunteer work experience under your belt.

Like I said, as many of these as you can muster is the message. If you have them all, your ultimately employable.

Now the only question is, employable for what?

You may need to work doing something close to, but not exactly, what you want -- just to get a foot in the door and prove your worth / get noticed. Think in terms of stepping stones.

For example, if you have the knack for Project Management (PM), you might consider a non-PM job in an organization that does "projects." If you have an aptitude for coding or other technical expertise, choose one that suits you, go to a reputable tech school and get certified in it. Find your self an entry-level opportunity in that skill, work on a team, prove your value -- not only as a coder, lets say, but as being organized. Watch what project managers do, ask one to mentor you. Ask to be allowed to assist in something the PM needs help with.

A good entry path is Scrum Master (google SCM certification from the Scrum Alliance). The requirements for this are not as stringent as PMP but the hours all count toward the experience you need to apply for PMP.

This takes patience because no business will turn over the reigns of a project to someone who doesn't know the ropes. Once you've spent some time as a team player (in whatever you do) and demonstrated a desire to learn the PM role (not at the expense of what you're being paid to do of course), you're on the road to where you want to be.

Best of luck!