Hi all,

I’m looking for a bit of advice.

I’m completely unqualified in anything other than my few GCSE’s and have always learnt through on the job training which has never gained me any qualifications.

I have been thinking in today’s climate not having any qualifications probably isn’t the wisest of ideas so have been looking at getting some courses and qualifications under my belt.

Quite fancy the look of project management and wondered if the Prince2 course could be completed by somebody who has never project managed before? Its something that I am interested in and didn’t know if the course was worthwhile?

Appreciate anyone’s thoughts.

Cheers,

Foundation level or Practitioner? You’d want the latter if it’s to count for anything in the jobs market.
Yes you COULD do the course without having any previous PM experience, but I’d not want to encourage you to throw (presumably your own) money at it unless you think you’re going to use it in your current job.

NB
Foundation level does not expire, but Practitioner does (after 5 years).

I can recommend the 5 day combined Foundation/Practitioner course offered by QA

Agree with Ecky that it’s possible to complete and pass the Practitioner level exam. This would prove you understand the method and processes within Prince 2, but like most things employers will need to be convinced you can manage projects in the real world. It *could* give you the edge in an interview for a junior role but you’d need to decide whether that was worth the considerable expense.

That’s absolutely fantastic. Thank you for the advice and information.

It’s tricky to try and find something that might be relevant and also something that I may potentially enjoy.

You don’t need to be an expert in project management to get a Prince 2 qualification – a school leaver could pass it if they’re good at exams. It would help you to get an entry level job if you had it on your CV

The ability to successfully project manager is proven by your experience – you learn from your own successes and failures.

A possible career path could be;

Project Analyst (1-2 Years)
Junior Project Manager (1-2 Years)
Project Manager (5 Years)
Senior Project Manager (3 Years)
Programme Manager (5 years)
Programme Director

I’ve indicated a possible duration that you might expect to stay in each position*.

*others experience may vary.

One place to look for a job after you’ve passed the Prince2 courses would be the public sector, probably NHS.

They are more likely to take on someone with no/little experience but has a Prince2 qualification than the private sector, based on my experience of working there and with some of the recruited ‘Project Managers’…

Plus the pay is pretty crap, so very hard for them to recruit decent/half-good PM’s. Look at NHS Boards in rural areas, e.g. Scotland 🙂

PMs are in demand.
Most businesses need PMs & other resources to manage/deliver change.
Can you get involved in project work in your current role e.g. as an SME or supporting role for the PM?
Show an aptitude or willingness to be involved in change delivery & its likely you’ll be asked to be involved in the next project too. Soon enough you’ll likely create an opportunity for training in change delivery funded by your employer & you’ll have a track record of involvement in change delivery (most important of all).
Then you are doomed to life of acronyms & frustration 😉

One of the hardest – but essential – skills to learn as a PM is the ability to accurately guess the actual ‘go live’ date (as opposed to the planned go live date) in order to ensure you’re on holiday then.

I suspect it would be like learning to ride a bike by reading a book about it. Try and get some Project Officer type jobs in the public sector first. You might hate it.

What industry are you looking at ? AFAIK only a few industries still use Prince, it is a museum piece in the IT sector.

What industry are you looking at ? AFAIK only a few industries still use Prince, it is a museum piece in the IT sector

I recruit and manage PMs in IT…prince 2 on an experienced PMs CV is more ‘that’s nice’ rather than an essential qualification. But if I was recruiting someone new to project management it would show they’re willing to learn how to be a PM.