What A Project Manager At UCLA Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Public Sector
Kate, a project/program manager at UCLA, wished someone had highlighted the stark differences between private and public sector work; the private sector offered a "much faster pace" and "more freedom to move quickly," unlike the longer timelines and numerous stakeholders encountered in their current role.
Project Management, Public Sector vs. Private Sector, Bureaucracy, Stakeholder Management, Time Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kate McAllister
Project/Program Manager
UCLA
UCLA
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA
Ethnic & Related Studies
Education
Operations and Project Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Faster pace and flexibility in the private sector.
2. More red tape and bureaucracy in the public sector.
3. Longer timelines and more stakeholders in public sector roles compared to private sector roles.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
I don't wish I had learned anything about this industry in advance. But I do wish I had been a little more aware of the differences between private sector and public sector work.
Coming from a private sector background and working with small businesses, things moved at a much faster pace. There was less red tape, more flexibility, and more freedom to move quickly on ideas and experiment.
Since there are fewer restrictions in the private sector, there's often less bureaucracy and a big opportunity to make change quickly. I can still do impactful work in my current role, but I am working with a longer timeline and also more stakeholders.