Future Project Manager Needs Advice

This forum is for members to share and gain knowledge of Project Management. Got a question about project management? Need help with a problem? Wish to offer tips and advice? Post here.
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cobzbi2
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Posts: 1
Joined: Thu 08 Aug 2019 12:41 pm

Hello, I am engineering student. Last year, I attended an internship in a heavy industry company. I like what I did and it seems to be nice this job. I want to work as a project manager. But, somebody told me that it will be helpful if I work as an engineer for 2-3 years after I graduate and after that I can become a project manager. Now I ask you, do I really need to be a good engineer to become project manager in a heavy industry company? Or, can I become a project manager after I graduate? Do I need to have strong technical knowledge? Thank you!
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dhaughey
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Joined: Sat 19 Dec 2009 4:39 pm
Location: London

It can depend on the field in which you are working. I'm in Information Technology and think it's helpful to have a good level of technical knowledge, but not essential. Having a solid technical background can make project planning and working with technical experts easier.

If you are new to project management and new to an industry, you could face considerable challenges as a project manager. In this case, working as an engineer for two or three years to build up your technical knowledge is a good idea.

There's a lively debate on the topic here (scroll down to the comments): /the-role-of-the-project-manager.php
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