First, thank you for reading my posting.
My family and I intend to retire from the Marine Corps to the place which has captured our hearts; Boise, ID. I have some obligated service remaining, which puts us there by October, 2015. Given the period of time between now and then, I'm taking full advantage of the remainder of my G.I. Bill benefits and free military training to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. I am currently serving in Afghanistan and this assignment has afforded me plenty of opportunities for reflection.
Like many, my leadership and work experiences have varied in scope; in essence, I've always "done windows" and "bloomed where planted". An inventory of the areas I've experienced success in led me toward the determination that Project Management is really what I have done throughout my career. What's more is that I believe it to be something I would enjoy doing, well into the future. To that end, I'm working to to finish the M.A. I started last fall, but I am also drawn toward pursuing other avenues, such as PMP certification and possibly some level of Six Sigma.
Currently, I have my sights set on some of the major technology companies in Boise (Micron, HP); however, I do not wish to limit myself to these at this stage in the game (I'm a technical guy but not an IT professional, per se.) There are plenty of tasks I can see myself doing and I think I would be foolish at this point to try to define myself by industry. Instead, I would like to seek out a mentor who might assist me in the process of channeling my capabilities, likes, and wants into a career-focus for an industry where I might be happy to spend the rest of my working years.
I look forward to corresponding with anyone who might have insight on how I might best utilize this forum, networks, and other resources I might engage to get from where I am now to where I'm going.
Answers
Thanks Scott, and thank you for your service.
William,
Thank you for serving. It looks like you've received a lot of good advice and many PM-related contacts. I am also a veteran who transitioned to Boise about 8 years ago and work for HP. I work in IT sales, so not the PM field specifically, but if you need any additional information on Boise or the surrounding areas, feel free to reach out.
Best regards,
Scott
Scottandkim12@msn.com
To all:
Your recommendations are fantastic and I can't thank you enough. What's amazing is that I've only begun to scratch the surface pertaining to the possibilities ahead of me. I conducted my telephone interview on Monday afternoon with ACP and I should be paired with a mentor within 4-6 weeks. Furthermore, I took Heather's advice and found that the Marine Corps actually offers the PMP (PMBOK) Skillsoft study course for FREE on MarineNet (our virtual classroom).
Kevin; your blog is blocked by our servers here in the Afghanistan theater, but I believe I found an article which was very similar to the theme you suggested. Semper Fidelis.
Francis; I will be sure to contact Deb Kunkler, as Idaho Power is on my short-list for finding a potential fit. I'll probably delay that contact until my mentor and I have had a chance to drill down on a few skill areas so that I'm not presenting myself as a 'jack of all trades' (a.k.a. undecided/noncommittal).
Again, I thank you for your continued support.
Regards,
William
Contact Deb Kunkler; Strategic Sourcing Manager, Idaho Power Company. debkunkler@idahopower.com; ; 1221 W. Idaho Street, Boise, Idaho 83702. Mention that you and I do not know each other, but that I suggested that you contact her. She is a wonderful person with a very good company. See what she can tell you about opportunties there. Idaho Power was a very good client of mine for many years. If there is something available in Purchasing/Sourcing you may want to modify your resume to emphasize your talents in these areas.
Francis J. Tepedino
President
The Condor Group
I have been a Project, then Program Manager, for years (now, an IT department head). I agree with all of the above. The PMI has lots of great info available online (you can begin studying from anywhere), working towards your PMP certification. If you have real-world experience, many companies will not require you to have your PMP, but it does help (it is like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval for PMs).
One of the great things about many PM roles is that they can often be done virtually (as I type this, I am in my home office, where I work 5 days a week). Between phone, instant messaging, video conferencing, and tools like WebEx meetings, there really are few things in IT that can't be managed remotely, these days.
Feel free to reach out if you want IT-specific career advice; that is my zone. :)
heather.gillbanks@ge.com
William,
I am PMP certified, have run a Project Management Consulting company as well as published several books on Project Management. You have received some very good advice above, and certainly getting your PMP is at the top of the list.
In addition, the comments about Project Management being a wide field with many interpretations of the words Project Management is on target. Read my Blog posting, "Are You a Hands On Project Manager" for information on this.
If you need help translating your service into PMI "speak" when applying to take the PMP exam, I would be glad to help you. You can contact me via my Blog, COO's Bulldog or via LinkedIn.
By the way, my uncle was a Marine who served in tje South Pacific in WWW II.
Best of luck,
Kevin
William,
As you enter into your mentor and/or job search you should keep your eyes and ears open to how others view project management. It is an extremely broad role definition and active listening is key to really understanding how others view it. Think about what makes you excited about it and where your strengths are centered and make sure you are lining up resources against those principles. I personally do not put a lot of weight into a PMP certification because I feel that it only validates that you have a grasp of some of the fundamentals. I would also beware of positions that only want a PMP because that tells me that the position could potentially be more "pure project management" or even a PMO role and that may not be what you are looking for. Given your varied experience it sounds like you don't want to just manage the plan, risks and issues for a specific function in a specific industry. Look for a place that has a career path where you can progress through experiences and cultures and you will have a much better chance at success and happiness!
Trust me, I know all of this is much easier said than done. I have progressed through a number of roles in a very large organization and have been fortunate enough to make a switch from IT to the business side which is sometimes very difficult to do, I would be glad to help in any way possible if you have any additional thoughts or questions.
Best of luck!!
John
Mr. Buck:
Thank you very much for your offer to help. I'll contact you when I get closer to being back on friendly soil for a chat.
Regards,
William
William
Good morning. My name is Richard Buck, I am a Marine Corps vet. I currently work for Capco, which is a managing consulting company. currently looking for good project Managers. If you are interested we can talk more about it. Let me know if you're interested and we can set a time to talk.
Richard Buck
76warrior85@gmail.com
914 391 3375
Great feedback....and thank you all for your service. I'm reaching out to PMI now and Iook forward to becoming engaged as an APC Protege.
John -
I served 21 years in the Marine Corps and have been very successful in one of the largest IT Companies as a Project Manager/Project Executive. The advice given to you is very sound advice: join the local PMO chapter when you are able and reach out to the APC organization. Any certifications - (read skills) that are in the demand in the workforce today are what will make you a marketable resource. All industry sectors need Project Managers so do not limit yourself to one sector - the key to being a successful PM is leadership and your leadership and skills as a Marine CWO will provide you with the foundational skills you will need to begin a new career combine this with marketplace skills and you will have no problems transitioning to a successful career in the private sector. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any specific questions you would like answered. Semper Fidelis!
John,
I believe you hit the mark when you said “I would like to seek out a mentor who might assist me in the process “. There are many considerations when looking into the project management field and a mentor with an extensive history managing projects will be very helpful. If you reach out to the APC organization they can link you to a qualified mentor. I believe this would be the best place to start. I would be happy to provide you with any assistance you need. I have Lean Six Sigma certification and work in the software industry. You can reach me at ericbknode@gmail.com
John:
Thank you for the direction and I will seek out the assistance of those folks as soon as I am back on U.S. soil.
Regards,
William
William,
PMP certificate is a great place to start. You'd be surprised how easily military staff work translates to project management. PMI has local chapters made up of PMP volunteers. I would reach out to your local chapter and ask for a mentor. I'd also ask for some guidance in developing your PMP application and studying for the exam.
Good Luck - John
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