Can You Get a Job After a Project Management Bootcamp?

If you want to work in project management, then a bootcamp can be a good option, since getting students career-ready is one of the main goals of most bootcamps. These immersive and accelerated programs are designed to cover all the skills that students will need in order to succeed in a professional project management role. In addition, most include a range of career support services that are designed to help students find the professional roles that they are looking for.

What Job Prospects and Career Paths are available for Project Management Bootcamp Graduates?

Research shows that project management jobs tend to pay well, and are likely to remain fairly stable in the future. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a government agency that analyzes U.S. labor market statistics. It predicts 6 percent job growth for Project Management Specialists over the next decade, which is higher than the average U.S. job growth rate of about 3 percent. Project Managers earn between $88,000 and $117,000 yearly, depending on what type of project management they do. According to a May 2024 Forbes article, a major advantage of pursuing a career in project management is that you typically don’t need a college degree, but you can expect to earn a high income. In addition, says the author, “You can easily apply this skill to multiple industries and in a wide variety of contexts. This helps you to future-proof your career, as you will always have the ability to be able to bounce regardless of the job market.” 

A bootcamp is an effective way to prepare for a job in project management. There is a lot of research showing that students who graduate from a bootcamp are likely to find a job more easily and are also likely to earn more than their peers. In a 2022 article, Gallup reports on the results of the Gallup-2U Boot Camp Graduates Study, where almost 4,000 U.S. adults were surveyed. It says, “One year after graduation, the median salary for all boot camp graduates surveyed was $11,000 higher than what they reported making the year they graduated. And the median income growth in the year following boot camp graduation was 17%.” It adds, “Median pay increased across all groups of boot camp graduates surveyed, regardless of race, gender, age and urbanicity.”

Are Project Management Bootcamps Good for Beginners?

If you’re a beginner, without any project management experience, a bootcamp can be a great choice. Most bootcamps are designed for beginners, and don’t have any prerequisites. They are generally intended to take students who know very little about this field, and provide them with a comprehensive education that will prepare them for a professional position. Students will start with the basics, and gain a strong understanding of fundamental project management skills. After that, they will move on to more advanced concepts. Most bootcamps also include a lot of hands-on practice, where you can strengthen your understanding of all the new things you’re learning by using them to work on real projects.

What Career Services Do Project Management Bootcamps Offer?

Most project management bootcamps include career services. In some cases, these will be built into the curriculum. For instance, class lectures might include information about successfully finding a job after you graduate, building a resume, job interview tips, and insight into employment in different coding industries. Some bootcamps include access to a dedicated career counselor that you can talk with outside of class hours to get more individualized advice on finding a job. Certain camps, like Noble Desktop, even offer a certain number of one-on-one mentoring sessions that you can use for career advice. Other types of career support that you might find through a bootcamp include access to internships and introductions to professional networks. In addition, when you take a bootcamp course, you’re likely to work on projects for your portfolio, since having a strong portfolio is an important part of finding a job.

What Jobs Will a Project Management Bootcamp Qualify Me For?

A bootcamp will prepare you for an entry-level job as a Project Manager. Project Managers work in many different industries including construction, finance, engineering, healthcare, and information technology. In a December 27, 2021 article in the Harvard Business Review, the author explains, “Almost every industry — from tech to retail to publishing — requires people with this skillset. As a project manager, you could be employed by a startup or a big corporation. You could work full-time, freelance, or even be a consultant.” Depending on the industry that you work in, you could end up in a role such as Software Project Manager, Construction Project Manager, or IT Project Manager.

Can I Freelance After Completing a Project Management Bootcamp?

A bootcamp can help you prepare for a career in project management, whether you plan to work as an employee or as a freelancer. When you complete a project management bootcamp, you’ll gain the skills and experience that you need to work as a professional in this field. Bootcamps also include career support services, where you’ll learn how to market your professional services. This can be helpful if you’re looking for employment, but it can also be helpful if you’re trying to market your services as a freelancer.

Bootcamps can also provide a solution to the isolation that can come with working as a freelancer. Many freelancers say that one of the biggest downsides to being self-employed is that because they work alone, they don’t get the same exposure to new learning opportunities and networking that come from working as part of a group of employees. Taking part in a bootcamp can be a way to gain some of the connection and professional interaction that some freelancers say they feel like they are missing out on.

Are Project Management Bootcamps Good for Upskilling?

Bootcamps are often beginner-friendly, but they are also good for upskilling. In addition to accepting beginners, most bootcamps are designed to accommodate working professionals who want to update their skills. If you want to advance within your career, or transition to a new one, upskilling can be a good way to do so. Not only can a bootcamp help you learn the skills that you’ll need to transition, but bootcamps come with a variety of different types of career support that can help you actually find the job that you’re looking for. Upskilling is also a way to keep up with trends and technology in the field of project management. These can change rapidly, and by attending a bootcamp, you can learn about what’s new in this field, and this can help you stay competitive.

What Does a Project Management Bootcamp Offer Over Other Means of Finding a Job?

Bootcamps are not the only way to find a job, but they have some advantages over other options. For instance, another popular choice for people who want to work in project management is to earn a college degree. However, while a degree program is likely to be more comprehensive than a bootcamp, it will take significantly longer. When you earn a degree, you’ll also have to complete general education classes that aren't directly related to project management. In addition, you’ll probably spend a lot more money. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average price of attending a four-year college ranges from $14,700 to $24,600, depending on whether it is a public or private college. 

Another advantage that bootcamps have over many other types of courses is that they run in an accelerated format. This means that they progress much more rapidly than many other types of training, and you’ll learn the skills you need in a relatively short amount of time. Most bootcamps run over a matter of weeks or months, while college programs take years. By opting for a bootcamp, you’re likely to get into the workforce more quickly, where you can start earning money and gaining experience. In addition to focusing on the skills that you’ll need, and teaching them quickly, most bootcamps offer a variety of career services, which can help significantly when you’re trying to find a job. 

Learn Project Management with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop is based in New York City and offers a number of different project management classes, with both short courses that can help you quickly master the basics, and longer, more comprehensive programs like bootcamps, where you can develop a strong project management skill set. Its project management classes can be taken in person at its Manhattan facility or in a live online format. Noble Desktop is licensed by the New York State Education Department. All courses include the option of a free retake within one year.

If you’re looking for a short introductory class, Noble offers Project Management Level I, which covers the methods and strategies of modern project management theory. You’ll learn about the process of project management and cover the five phases. After that, you’ll spend more time focusing on the initiation and planning stages. Finally, you’ll learn about what it takes to be a successful project manager, including important strategies and skills. This course includes an overview of project management apps, associations, and certifications. You’ll also receive a slide deck that contains practical knowledge and a variety of exercises. 

Noble Desktop also has a more advanced class called Project Management Level II, which builds off the skills covered in the Level I class. In Level II, you’ll learn about the execution monitoring, and closing phases of project management. Instructors will also cover working with budgets and costs, managing limited resources, and staying within your budget. This course includes an introduction to Agile Project Management and popular Agile frameworks.

If you want a more comprehensive course, Noble also runs a Project Management Bootcamp. This class is designed for students who want to learn more about project management, including the five phases of a project, and who want to begin a project management career. It is a combination of the school’s Level I and Level II classes and is offered at a discount. When you take the Project Management Bootcamp, you’ll learn the five phases of project management and will receive a slide deck that contains a variety of exercises. You’ll also learn about Waterfall, Critical Path, and Agile methods of project management, including popular Agile frameworks. You’ll receive a certificate of completion at the end of the class.

Another class option is Microsoft Project Level I, which is focused on this popular project management tool. This class is for PC users only; it cannot be completed with a Mac computer. The class is intended for users who need to manage multiple projects, want to increase efficiencies, and need to better manage resources. You’ll learn about the basic functions and features of Microsoft Project Professional. Covered topics include essential project management concepts, defining projects, entering tasks and examining task relationships, managing resources, optimizing, setting baselines, and sharing project plans. 

Noble also offers Microsoft Project Level II, where you’ll cover more advanced features of this application. You’ll learn how to update a project plan to reflect progress, how to monitor project progress in the project plan, and how to adjust the plan to control constraints. You’ll also learn to create project reports and customize project settings. Students who want to take the Level II course should have first completed Level I.