What are the best ways to gain project management experience as a newcomer?

Indeed, project management is a dangerous place for young people. Many companies have a habit of burning them in project coordinator roles, where they have no chance of achieving. Neither do they have a standing toward their seasoned colleagues, nor do they understand the dynamics of power and politics. But here is good news: Youth is the only problem that sorts itself out over time. And here is my recommendation for the seasoned people: When you find a young professional getting burned out, help the person. Offer yourself as a mentor and step in when you feel, the person isn’t treated right. And for the young people, my recommendation is: Don’t take up risks that you (still) can’t manage. Getting seasoned is a process, not a leap.

I offer project management experience with programming small enough to grasp concepts and gain key skills by doing. It's an incubator for new PMs wishing to learn more in an active project. I'm looking forward to feedback on this initiative.

In the tech industry, aspiring project managers can enhance their skills through online platforms like Coursera and Udemy. These platforms offer affordable courses covering project management fundamentals, planning, execution, control, and closure. By completing these courses, individuals gain valuable knowledge, enabling them to apply best practices in real-world projects, fostering their project management expertise. Key takeaway: Online courses provide accessible and cost-effective ways to learn project management essentials. Acquiring these skills equips individuals with the knowledge needed to effectively manage projects, making them valuable assets in various industries.

Side Projects: Initiate your own projects, even if they are small. This could be anything from organizing a community event to managing a personal development initiative. Document your processes, challenges, and outcomes to showcase your project management skills. Shadowing and Mentorship: If possible, shadow an experienced project manager or seek mentorship. Learning from someone with practical experience can provide valuable insights and guidance. Online Courses and Webinars: Take advantage of online courses and webinars that focus on project management. Platforms like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and Project Management Institute (PMI) offer various courses that can enhance your knowledge and skills.

In the marketing industry, building a project management portfolio is crucial. It can include successful campaign proposals, strategic plans, budget allocations, event schedules, and client feedback. This showcase demonstrates your ability to handle diverse projects effectively. Potential employers can assess your skills, boosting your chances of securing project management roles. Key takeaway: A well-curated portfolio serves as tangible evidence of your capabilities. Showcasing your achievements not only validates your skills but also highlights your expertise, making you a compelling choice for prospective employers, clients, or collaborators in any industry.

Building a portfolio of your project management work demonstrates your skills, experience, and accomplishments to potential employers. Include projects you've volunteered for, personal projects, or even simulations you've completed in online courses. Highlight your project planning, execution, and problem-solving abilities.

In the technology sector, joining a project management community like PMI provides invaluable networking and learning opportunities. PMI offers resources, events, and certifications that enhance skills and knowledge. Engaging with professionals from diverse backgrounds fosters collaboration and exposes members to varied project management methodologies. Key takeaway: Project management communities provide a supportive environment for continuous learning and networking. By participating actively, professionals can gain insights, mentorship, and industry-specific knowledge, enriching their project management expertise and expanding their career opportunities.

There are lot of communities like meetup and where everyone can contribute in some way - by learning, speaking etc. Project Management is a growing field with many organizations having adopted various methods and depending on the project. Talking to seniors, learning from the experiences and the stories that inspire us to adapt to the project circumstances. I personally believe spending some time with the experts in the industry via conferences, communities etc will help in expanding the learning horizon.

To gain project management experience I'd recommend starting here, with a side project. Many domestic, family, hobby as well as work activities can be viewed as projects and so provide a great place to start exploring ideas and developing skills. The real beauty is that whatever it is you are doing should also benefit from you taking a project management approach to it. To use your side project to learn, develop and gain confidence you should approach it in a structured way, apply some of the project management tools and techniques to help you undertake it and write a note on what it is you are doing, why and what the effect was. Start with some planning and take it from there :-)

In the entrepreneurial sector, initiating a side project like launching an e-commerce store exemplifies applying project management skills in a real-world scenario. Managing tasks, budgets, and timelines while coordinating with suppliers and customers mirrors professional project management. Involving others hones leadership and collaboration skills. Key takeaway: Side projects offer hands-on experience, allowing individuals to practice project management principles. These ventures serve as testing grounds, fostering problem-solving abilities and enhancing overall project management competency, preparing individuals for larger, more complex endeavors.

Great points discussed above already. In addition, I always advice new entrants to project management to thrive to apply professional project management concepts in their day-to-day life as we all have personal projects now and then. Vacation, Trip, Events, repainting our apartments, Relocating to a new apartment or city, Etc. are all projects. Applying the concepts of project management to these minor projects give good insight to project management and prepare one to take up bigger projects.

For new comers, you can get project management experiences by participate as project intern ,project assistant or project coordinator. But not to confuse, project management experience cannot only gain by managing the projects , taking part in the projects can also gain project management knowledges and experience. So, whether you are domain experts or part of projcet team , you can still learn from each project members and can also gain required experience and knowledge.