The Project Management Spectrum

Lately I’ve come back around to considering project management as the next phase in my career.  Project managers are often ex technical people who go on to managing technology projects in (or near) their area of expertise.  I call it a paratechnical role (a role around technical roles).  Because a PM’s technical knowledge is secondary to other skills, it’s easier to be a PM than an engineer outside of one’s core technical competency.

Two promising things that I’ve learned recently:

1. There is a spectrum of jobs between the purely tech-y and the purely PM-y. This is good news because I’m not a certified PMP yet, and the “Project Coordinator” role (Jr-PM) sounds boring and doesn’t pay well.  Lately I’ve come upon other job titles like “Project Lead,” “Project Engineer,” etc.  These mid-spectrum roles are for people who have enough technical understanding to work on highly technical projects interfacing with the engineers, designers, contractors, technicians and the senior PM, and have enough business skills to handle contracts, project schedules and budgets, communications, customer/vendor management, etc.  If the projects in question were renewable-energy or smart-grid projects, I could see this type of role being very rewarding for me; and leading to bigger and better things.
2. Renewable energy developers and EPC service providers are two kinds of companies have lots of these paratechnical roles, and some of them have told me that they value passion and drive above specific knowledge and experience.  Developers get renewable energy projects started: they do the initial wind or solar or geotechnical studies, the grid-tie studies, the market studies, they buy options on land for wind and solar farms, get supply contracts with the hydro companies, get financing, hire the EPC companies, and stand back.  The EPC (Engineer, Procure, Construct) service providers do the detailed design work, buy the hardware, hire the crews, manage construction of the project, and get it on line.  There are lots of developers and EPCs operating in the renewable energy / smart grid space, because it’s the next big thing.

So, roles that I like and am qualified to do, and lots of places where those roles are found.  Things are looking up!

Green Buildings

There seem to be a lot of jobs out there in the area of “green buildings”: LEED coordinators, energy management consultants and the like.  Some of it sounds like interesting work, it’s certainly in the right direction green-wise, and I have the skills.  I just lack one thing.  Okay maybe two.  To quote from a recent job posting:

Project Coordinator – Energy

• Experience in the administration of contracts and managing contractors and consultants. Experience in … preparation of specifications and contract documents. Must be able to read and interpret drawings.
• Thorough understanding of energy sources and conservation strategies. Detailed knowledge of building electrical/mechanical system theories and applications including lighting, power consumption, HVAC systems, and water distribution. Knowledge of building automation systems, refrigeration systems, renewable energy applications, water conservation practices.

My question: is there a course somewhere that I can take to get the level of familiarity with (a) the construction industry and (b) with building systems, in order to do jobs like this?  Because there are a lot of them out there!

-Johnny

OSPE Career Planning Session: Green Jobs

Yesterday, the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) put on a career-planning session for P.Eng’s who want to get into the new Green Economy.

It was interesting.  The three panelists were a career counselor, a LEED buiding professional, and the executive director of the Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA).

Things that I learned:

• every industry has environmental issues now; be open-minded about where to work
• there’s a skills shortage, not a labour shortage; get the hard skills that are in demand!  ”you probably need a skills upgrade, but not as much as you think.”
• beyond qualifications: demonstrate your interest by being active with associations, reading industry publications
• use job search engines (e.g. wowjobs.ca, eluta.ca, simplyhired.ca), not job boards (workopolis.ca, etc);
  in technical fields, the rule “most jobs never get posted” doesn’t apply!  Don’t ignore the posted job market!
• PMP: OSPE provides discounts with 2 companies that offer PMP prep courses

Jobs to look into:

• LEED Consultant (they’re in demand)
• LEED facilitator (like a Jr. PM…)
• LEED AP (?)
• Energy modeler for LEED (they’re in demand)
• Energy Auditor (NRC has info on getting certified)
• CEM – Certified Energy Manager
• Energy Management Verification professional
• Greenhouse Gas professional
• check out multidisciplinary engineering firms, they have some interesting roles.

The New Plan

The Very Next Steps

• be specific about what industries and companies I’m going after.
• work to identify roles that I can fill, or am interested in filling.  This will require some research & networking.
• work to nail down job descriptions, and the qualifications I’d need.  Research & networking.
• identify ALL the companies that I should be targetting.  Research.  Check their career pages.  Set up auto searches.
• send out CVs.  Keep networking and checking job postings.

Some Thoughts

Smart Grid / Advanced Metering / Electric Car Infrastructure

• wireless network engineer: designer, optimizer.  Operations?
• project manager

Renewable Energy

• I don’t know, but take another look at the LOCAL industry, find any opportunity to get either PM experience or power tech experience
• be open minded; don’t snort at manufacturing or system integrator or installation work

NGOs

• I don’t know, but try to network or cold-call my way in, and solicit opinions on where I can use my powers for good (& make a living)
• Maybe to work for an NGO, maybe to use them for advice, networking.

The Hardest Thing

When you’re not sure what to do next, choose the hardest thing; it’s usually the right choice.

For the past few months, I have been focussing (or not focussing (see post on procrastination)) on the contract work.  As before, some of it is wireless engineering and some of it is SR&ED consulting.  Which means I haven’t been looking for a job.  Well, a few job opportunities came to me, and I pursued the interesting ones.  But really, I haven’t been looking for a job.  Or, to be perfectly honest:

I have been avoiding looking for a job.

The economy is improving, companies are hiring and building again, and the clean-tech sector is awash in government subsidies and positive public sentiment.  RIGHT NOW is probably the BEST TIME there will ever be for looking for a green job!  Does it make sense for me to keep my nose buried in short-term work which bears no relation to the future that I desire?  No!  So why have I been doing it?  To keep the money flowing in?  Because I like the hours?  (really, the hours are quite good!).  No, I have to admit to myself now, it’s because crappy contract work is less daunting than going after my dream job.

So I’m kicking myself in the ass and getting back to what I committed to do.  Going forward, I’m going to spend half my working hours on going after the career that I want.  That will mean reading industry news, finding and researching local companies that I (may) want to work for, reaching out and building a network of relationships with people in the business, and studying to build new expertise.

The other half of my time will still be spent on crappy contract work.  Gotta keep the money coming in.  ;-)

Attacked By Monkeys: Post #15 on Procrastination

I had an awesome week… two weeks ago.  The deadline loomed, the pressure was on, and I performed.  I made a month’s worth of income in a week, and good thing too, as I had pretty much pissed away the preceeding 3 weeks.  The week after that was another total write-off, I did almost nothing besides attend a meeting and answer my email.

How can I follow a star-performer week with a useless-johnny week?  Why, after I shake off the procrastination monkey, is it so easy for him to climb back on?

For a while now I’ve been performing well.  The work was new and exciting.  But now it’s all so last-month.  It’s time to bring back some tried-and-true procrastination-beating tactics, and to try out some new ones.  

Consulting Life

An Update

It has been a while since my last post.  Why?  I started thid blog in part to find a community of like-minded existential careerists.  Since then I’ve been laid off, joined a career transition program, and met all kinds of like-minded existential careerists. I’m getting in real life what I was looking for online.

And speaking of real life: it’s keeping me busy!  Things taking up my time these days, in order of hours/week:

1. Sleep.  8-9 hrs /night.  It’s wonderful.  I feel more healthy than I have in years.
2. Consulting.  Who would have thought?  I am an SR&ED consultant.  I secure refunds and tax credits for Canadian companies in compensation for time and money that they spend on “Scientific Research & Experimental Development.”  It’s pretty interesting work: I get to research and report on R&D work that is being done in all kinds of different industries.  I get to use two of my key strengths: fast learning and technical writing.  And YES, I am using this as my ticket into the environmental and clean-tech sectors.  I’m working on getting some green companies as clients.
   And I’m currently working a radio engineering contract, as well.  Why not?  Can’t let all that expertise just go to waste.
3. Researching the Green industries.  There’s just so much going on right now!  The Green Energy Act, Smart Grid, the new carbon economy (go Obama! shame on Canada!), the hydrogen economy, electric cars, renewable energy, CCS, new pollution regulations, etc.
4. Networking.  I’ve met some great and interesting people lately.  It’s amazing, the connections you can make when you ask EVERYBODY you know:  “do you know anyone working in…?”  And I’ve just co-founded a networking group of “classmates” from the career transition program (which is more or less done now).
5. Playing with the kids and helping out around the house more.  This is nice. 
6. Music.  I’ve been going to more live shows, and jamming with my friends more.  (But I still don’t practice  )

I’m spending almost no time job searching right now. The consulting work is keeping me busy, and I guess it’s less scary than networking and going to job interviews, so I’m letting it take up most of my time.  If I’m still serious about getting an engineering job in the energy business (for example), then I should get disciplined about spending at least 50% of my working hours doing the job search.  Yes, I said “If…”.  Alternatively, I could just stick with the SR&ED consulting work.  It looks like I could make a comparable income.  And it may eventually let me in the back door of the clean-tech industry.  Maybe I can evolve from SR&ED consulting to carbon emissions consulting.

Or is that just me taking the path of least resistance?  I don’t know.

For now I’m almost too busy to think about it.  And busy is good.

-Johnny

An Aussie’s plea to Canada: Help fight global warming

Australians are much like Canadians in their friendly demeanor, cosmopolitan culture and British-empire roots.  They may not share our fascination with doughnuts, but then they have Lamingtons instead.  As a Canadian I feel right at home there.

Our nations differ in one important respect, though.  Global climate change is already having a serious impact down under.   And this month, things turned deadly.  As Canadians, operators of the most polluting oil projects on Earth, shouldn’t we feel some responsibility?

Re-posting a great article from the Toronto Star newspaper, of Feb 23rd.

Arwen Birch

The recent bushfires in Australia that claimed more than 200 lives were not merely random natural disasters or the sole fault of pyromaniacs, lightning or fallen power cables. They were forecast by climate scientists’ years earlier and are the result of a changing climate that is likely to get worse in the future.

I am an Australian desperate to tell Canadians about what is happening to my country. Although droughts and fires are a natural part of Australian life, what we have suffered over the past 10 years is far from typical.

My Biggest Fan

Two day seminar hosted by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA):  $420.

Notepad and pen with CanWEA logo:  Free with admission.

The support of my biggest fan:  PRICELESS.