Mr Claw (ex army, now a PM) says:
1. Is it possible to enter PM with just PRINCE2 qualification, or do u need additional quals?
You don't need any formal qualifications at all to go into PM, it's an unchartered profession (for now). There is no prerequisite to be a Prince2 practitioner. Having said that, it's the same as any other profession - you wouldn't apply for a job as an IT consultant without having experience and qualifications in that field.
2. Are u able to work on projects of which u have no experience (in the field)? Or, as I suspect, do you usually work within your specialist field?
Generally you would work in an area that you have specific knowledge of. I have 20 years experience of telecomms and radio engineering, but have no idea about the construction industry so couldn't even contemplate managing a construction project.
3. Is it best to work freelance/consultancy? If you do, then is there high demand for your services?
Like any other field, PM contracting is a high risk but high gain area. There are some well established PM consultancy firms in the various industries so you'd be competing against some heavy weight opposition. Turner & Townsend are a good example. You're probably better initially looking for a job in a company as a PM or PM support and establishing a background. Companies who might contract PM consultants will expect a degree of expertise and a solid CV.
4. Is there much call for PM's for people with my background? (I have 2 army based backgrounds - a. Logistics and b. Intelligence/Security)
You could potentially put together a good PM type CV using your logistics background depending on what you did in the Army (seniority, level of responsibility, budgetary control etc.) I have noticed that ex-forces people broadly fall into 2 camps, very good or very bad! Out of interest, were you in the Int Corps? I was in the Signals but worked very closely with the Int Corps and since I left my trade is no longer in the Signals but the Int Corps.
5. What are considered to be the best areas to work within the industry?
Construction is a solid bet but you'd need the background to break into the industry. Web and IT development seems to come up a lot, Telecomms is reasonably stable but tends to go through peaks and troughs. Register with Jobsite and set up a search for Project Managers and you'll get a good feel for what areas are recruiting. You'll also see what experience and qualifications employers are looking for.
6. Lastly, is the money as good as all the hype?
Nope, unless your a senior project or programme manager and you don't get to be one of them over night - hype is generally just that - hype! Salaries are on a par with other professional occupations.
If you have any further ideas/nuggets of information then they are all greatly appreciated.
Prince2 won't teach you how to manage projects, it is just a methodology or a process to follow. It assumes that you already have a solid understanding of project management tools and techniques. I would definately recommend that you do the APMP (
www.apm.org.uk) qualification - the cost of courses is about the same as Prince2. It is a more difficult exam but you'll get a much better understanding of project management in general. Unfortunately, industry seems to use Prince as the standard although I've noticed that lately employers are asking for Prince or APMP which is good.
If you're tempted to take a Prince foundation course first of all, and then take the Practioner exam later I would advise that you don't. When I did a 5 day Practitioner course there were a couple of people on there who were only taking the Foundation exam. For the 1st 3 days we went through Prince in its entirety and then took the foundation multi-choice exam which examines all aspects of Prince. On day 4 we didn't learn anything at all but concentrated on the type of questions which would come up in the Practitioner exam. So, the people who only sat the Foundation exam already knew everything to pass the Practitioner but they now have to go back on a second 'refresher' course before taking the Practitioner exam.
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