Jim D.
About me
| Jim D. | |
| Social and Political Science | |
| Social Policy | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Wentworth | |
| 1984 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Project Manager | |
| Highways England | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Transport and logistics | |
| Large business (250+ employees) |
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A day in the life of a Project Manager in the United Kingdom
A varied career path - from social work to project management!
My career goals when I graduated
I was a qualified social worker before I studied Social Policy at York, and returned to that field. I wanted to work with people with a variety of disabilities and got the first job I applied for.
My career history
I was a social worker for 10 years and then changed to marketing because I was interested in writing and promoting new ideas. I continued this but also ran a wine merchants before moving to my current organisation, so there's no real logical progression there..
What has helped my career to progress
Most important has been a willingness to try new challenges and sheer persistence. I've kept a love of reading and learning and this has been invaluable.
Courses taken since graduation
I obtained an MSc in Management and have taken a wide variety of project management and risk management qualifications.
How my studies have helped my career
My time at York was invaluable as it helped me appreciate the social environment in which we all operate. The further courses provided me with a variety of tools and techniques which act as a foundation to help deliver my work. Much of my learning has been self-taught and eclectic and this has been probably most important of all.
What surprised me about my career so far
The number of career moves I've made - I've had four significant careers with no real connection from one change to another. I couldn't possibly have predicted that. I'm much more appreciative of uncertainty and change possibilities than I would have imagined.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I am developing a range of change capabilities in several areas and would hope to lead a team which delivers these type of project.
My advice to students considering work
The best advice would be to consider how you can add experience/qualifications in addition to your degree. Any work opportunities are useful but if you have a sector in mind then do all you can to get experience there.
My advice about working in my industry
There are many opportunities in a variety of roles. Again, research what you would like to do and develop the appropriate qualifications and experience. It's very easy to go from a degree area to something completely different - what matters is enthusiasm, dedication and the fact that you have transferrable writing, communication and thinking skills.
Other advice
Expect things to go wrong sometimes. You will fail and you will have setbacks. Be prepared - 'what's the worst that can happen here? If it does, how can I minimise the impact?' Have a plan b and preferably a plan c. Learn from your mistakes and stay positive.
Contacting me
I am happy to discuss transport, programme/project management and change management. On a personal note I have a lot of experience of moving from one sector to another and am happy to help others trying to do so.
What I do
I work as a project sponsor/programme and project manager at Highways England. I develop and lead projects to improve our road network and business capabilities.
Skills I use and how I developed them
My work involves the use of programme and project management techniques to assist in delivering projects and business change initiatives. A major part of my work is creating coalitions to drive change, so stakeholder engagement and management skills are something I'm involved in on a daily basis. Basically I see myself as a change agent, delivering changes via a number of tools and techniques which I have developed through practice, self and course learning and a variety of professional qualifications.
What I like most
The biggest driver for me is working with others to make a positive difference by delivering road improvements and opportunities to assist people in meeting their travel needs. I am looking to help drive the sustainable transport agenda and reduce the impact of poor air quality.
What I like least
There is more bureaucracy is our organisation that I would like. Sometimes things take too long to get done - we could be slimmer and sharper and thereby achieve more.
What surprised me most
I moved into project management from a business support function. What has surprised me most is the creativity involved in delivering business change projects. It's more of an art with support from scientific/pm techniques. I have more freedom to try new things and challenge conventional thinking than I would have expected and this is exciting.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Jim’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Jim a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Jim to be your mentor.