The field of engineering has grown drastically in the past couple of decades, as has the overall demand for engineers in the workplace. Well over 100,000 students graduate with a degree in engineering each year, according to ASEE – that’s in the US and Canada alone. Engineers are sought after by many companies for their problem solving abilities, discipline and technical backgrounds. There is a caveat worth mentioning, though – many of these companies aren’t engineering firms. Statistics vary, but I’ve heard as many as ~50% of all engineering degree holders are not actually working as engineers. Supply and demand dictates that as more engineers enter the workforce, the demand for any particular engineer decreases – the job market gets more saturated as the pace of supply outruns the pace of demand. If you’re an engineering graduate, it’s a coin toss chance as to whether you’ll work as an engineer or not. There are, however, many alternative careers that engineers are a good fit for. Onto the main focus of this article: can an engineer become a project manager? Let’s explore it.
Engineering & Project Management: A Love Story
Or is it? Project management and engineering share many overlaps. In many ways, an engineer and a project manager are like two different positions on a sports team – they’re both playing together, they play the same sport, but they have different purposes and responsibilities. Their backgrounds and training differ, their skills are not quite the same and their typical work day is often apples and oranges.
When asking the question of “can an engineer become a project manager?“, there is a short and a long answer. The short answer? Yes, engineers can certainly become project managers. The long answer is quite nuanced, and we’ll break down a few of the essential things an engineer must be able to do in order to function as a project manager.
1. Engineers Usually Become Project Managers In A Related Field
If you’re an engineer and want to become a P.M., it’s typical to work in a related field to your degree. For example, I am a Civil Engineer according to my diploma. However, I worked for many years as a Construction Project Manager for a couple different contracting companies.
In school, I took classes related to the design of steel, concrete and wood structures. In reality, I demolished concrete bridges in the field (summer ‘internship’ as a laborer), managed bridge and highway repair projects and have overseen exterior high-rise projects as well.
During undergrad, I took classes related to ‘systems analysis’ and using data to solve for solutions. As a contractor, I was in charge of tracking budgets, productivity and keeping the cost of the project’s labor, equipment, materials and subcontractors as low as possible.
If you hold a degree is Chemical Engineering, you probably won’t take the same path as I did. Rather, you may be in charge of overall production in a chemical plant, or overseeing the development and testing of new products. A Mechanical Engineer might manage projects related to installing heat and air conditioning systems, or serve as the technical guru for a major equipment manufacturer.
Becoming a project manager as an engineer will be a lot easier if you already have technical expertise in a closely-related field.
2. Show Me The Money (No, Not Salary)
Engineers play an important role in society. Not only do they design pretty much anything you see around you right now, but they make sure it’s safe, free of defects and up to proper standards. This is up-front work that needs to be done before any construction, manufacturing, etc. actually happens.
In project management, the engineer hands off the baton to you. You’ll be in charge of making sure everything actually gets built, made or developed properly. Not only that, but you’ll be in charge of making sure it’s done so profitably.
One older guy I worked with for several years in contracting had a saying: “we aren’t a charity”. While there is something noble about bringing a project or product to life, I guarantee that you’ll have bosses who want to see profit, and they want it NOW (half kidding).
Of course, engineers aren’t going to work to lose money, either. Engineers are usually hired via an agreement similar to a ‘cost plus‘ contract; they’re paid for their time and exact costs, plus a fixed profit percentage. In short, engineers are paid for the time it takes to turn over a complete design.
PROMOTION
Contractors might also get hired through a cost-plus contract, but they won’t be charging for their time, but rather the costs of getting the work done or product developed. These are easier projects to manage due to the fixed profit percentage – it gets a lot more stressful when other models are used and there’s more inherent risk of losing money.
Engineers who want to become project managers must have basic budgeting skills and the ability to track costs and profit.
3. Handling The Downsides Of Project Management
As a project manager, you’ll be the person in charge of getting the project done. In turn, you’ll be the one that people turn to when things go wrong…and they will! There are many common issues project managers face, and you should be aware of them before going down this road.
Some of the major issues most P.M.s face include:
- When clients are unhappy, you’ll be on the front line – both in terms of being the contact person (you’ll bear the brunt of it) as well as being the one to deal with righting the ship.
- You’ll need to manage resources and get the project done using them. This gets more complicated when resources get taken away unexpectedly, must be shared or aren’t ever available in the first place. This requires working uphill to get the job done.
- Navigate contractual changes and disputes, which often include asking for more money.
- Every day is a juggling act, and rolling with the punches will be required. Unexpected issues pop up that will wipe out your to-do list. The usual solution? …
- Long hours. It’s the only way that the project can stay on track when deadlines are stacking up and surprises decide to rear their heads.
These are a just a few reasons why the project management path is not for everyone.
4. Say Goodbye To The Technical And Hello To The Administrative
What makes you love engineering? For me, I grew up with an engineer in the extended family, and I always associated it with problem-solving first. I was drawn to becoming an engineer in order to figure things out. For one reason or another, I began to feel that being an engineer wasn’t for me. I knew I needed something else. Construction project management satisfied that craving to solve problems, and I followed that path immediately after college.
For me, I did not mind the fact that I needed to oversee a project in a broad sense, because I was not a great fit for the technical portions of being an engineer. I never really was an engineer in the first place, other than graduating with a B.S.
I know of many engineers working as project managers. A few come to mind in construction management. These guys are EXTREMELY smart and you can tell they know what they’re talking about technically. They were always immersed in the details of the project, handling nut-and-bolt aspects and going over design specs/calculations. They spent so much time on this stuff that everything else suffered. Things such as monitoring the budget or looking at the big-picture of the project like scheduling, revenue forecasting, profit, etc. were thrown together last minute, and some did not have experience with doing any of it before. Communication between all parties didn’t feel right, either – there was lack of clarity and direction. These types of things are major sticking points in project management, but they’re often not as big of an issue when working in the engineering field.
On the other hand, I also know engineers who have become project managers and have done great. So long as you feel prepared and qualified to oversee the big picture and perform administrative duties, you’ll do fine in project management.
5. There’s No Avoiding People
The engineer in my family has jokingly said “I just want the work slid under my door.” That’s the great part about engineering, if you’re into that – there many be entire days where you barely need to speak to someone. Engineering software, design criteria and crunching numbers require hours of focus and solitude.
Does that sound good? Being a project manager is the perfect opposite of that. Emails will never stop pouring in, calls will be constant, and you’ll be pulled in many directions at once. Sometimes it feels like you can’t get anything done.
It’s critical as a P.M. to use efficient work practices and good planning to get the most quality results from your time.
Managing the project will mean managing people – both in their best moods and at their worst. You’ll encounter many different personalities and will not be best friends with them all. This goes for any managerial role, really, but project management is certainly no exception.
If you’re an engineer who wants to become a project manager, you’ll have to manage and deal with people.
Fear not, though – even an introvert can become a project manager.
In Conclusion
To answer the original question of “can an engineer become a project manager?”. Yes they can, if the following points are true:
- They manage projects related to their existing skillset.
- They have an understanding of managing budgets and project finances.
- They’re willing to deal with the typical headaches every project manager encounters, including unpredictable schedules and racing to meet deadlines.
- They can give up the technical stuff to work on the project’s big-picture and administration.
- They can work with many people and manage different personalities.
One last thing – the points above can be learned! Project managers are not always born, but made. There are plenty of websites related to project management (like this one ;)) and there are many online courses you can take to pick up specific skills via LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, PMI, and more. The rest must be learned on the job. If you’re an engineer that’s seriously interested in becoming a project manager and are willing to learn, you can do it.
