Entry-level Positions For Aspiring Project Management Specialists At Boeing
James, a Project Management Specialist III at Boeing, emphasizes that transferable skills, not specific prior experience, are key to success across industries; the ability to "learn along the way" and not be intimidated by the unknown, as evidenced by their varied internships and career progression from pizza maker to aerospace project manager, is what truly matters.
Project Management, Adaptability, Continuous Learning, Transferable Skills, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
James Moody
Project Management Specialist III
Boeing
Purdue University, 2014
NA
Industrial, Supply Chain Management
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense
Operations and Project Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. A career in project management can be accessed from various backgrounds; prior experience in a specific field is not always essential. transferable skills are valued above specific prior experience.
2. Curiosity and a willingness to learn are crucial for success, enabling professionals to adapt to new challenges and industries.
3. Don't be afraid to try new things. The ability to learn and adapt is more important than having prior experience in a specific field.
Transcript
If you learned about this role, what is something you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
You don't need to be in a certain field to do well in it. Before working on spacecraft as a project manager, I'd worked on aircraft that carried people. Spacecraft and aircraft are totally different things.
I was freaking out during my first couple of days, even my first week. I thought, "Oh my God, I don't know anything about spacecraft. I'm going to fail." But then I realized, if you're curious and you listen, you'll be just fine. You'll pick things up.
I'd been looking at different positions in the space industry for a while, but I was scared. I felt I didn't have enough experience. It's a catch-22: you won't get experience unless you have experience.
But it's not necessarily the specific experience. It's the skills that come from your experiences. Just understand: don't be scared, just learn along the way. Those learning things are what allow you to transition from industry to industry.
I had six internships in five different industries before that. I wondered, "What do they have to do with each other?" Absolutely nothing. But it was about being able to learn, and then it's that learning that you bring to the next job, not the specific thing you did.
So don't be scared to try something you've never done. It's really the skills that you acquire. I worked at a pizza place in college, and people asked how I went from making pizza to making airplanes.
Those two processes actually have a lot in common. It’s just not being scared and learning as you go. That's what allows you to succeed in any industry.
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