I had an interesting conversation today. I have a mixed background, started in project management then transitioned into more of a design role.
For the last year or so I got stuck on a project where the engineering was offshored, and I just had to handle the project management side. I knew this wasn’t what I wanted so I have accepted a new job in design / analysis.
Today I informed the client that I would be leaving the project at the end of the month to start my new role, and I was taken aback by their response.
Firstly they said how good I had been on the project. They then informed me that they thought I had a real knack for project management and had the engineering knowledge to back it up, and I was one of the best they had worked with in a 20 year career. They said they thought I had real potential to have a great career in PM, and my potential earnings would be significantly higher than in a design role.
Next they offered to pay my full salary for the next 3 months to stay on the project. I think they thought my employer didn’t fight hard enough to keep me.
I don’t really know what to think of this. I have always felt that project management was a waste of time (for engineers), and I’ve wanted to get back to pure engineering. However, I’m wondering now should I stick with PM if I’m good at it? To me managing a project is very straightforward.
So what do you think is a better long term career?