What is the Fastest Way to Learn Project Management?

If you want to learn project management quickly, there are a few different possibilities. This article goes over some of the different project management training options, including a discussion of how fast they are. When choosing a class, the time to completion may be important, but you’ll also want to consider what type of training you’re getting and make sure that you’re choosing something that best meets your needs.

What Is Project Management?

Project Managers oversee the use of a set of resources, with the goal of successfully completing a specific project. Their job typically includes defining the scope of the project, identifying all of the steps that need to be completed, facilitating communication among all those people involved, managing the risks, and ensuring that all tasks are executed. Project Managers can work with many different types of resources including finances, material resources, time, and labor.

What Can You Do With Project Management?

By learning project management, you can set yourself up for a career that pays well and is expected to remain relatively stable over the next decade. Between 2022 and 2032, Project Management Specialist jobs are likely to grow by 6 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The average U.S. job growth rate is about 3 percent. In a May 2024 Forbes article, project management is listed as one of three high-income jobs that you can get without a college degree. The author says, “Project management is another fantastic high-income skill to consider learning without getting a degree.” She continues, “In your role as a project manager, you can expect to make between $65,661 to $83,483 on average. As you work up the ladder in management, you could eventually realize earnings of up to $143,000.”

Ways to Learn Project Management

Free Resources

If you want to get an overview of what project management is all about, learn a few basic skills, or research a specific technique, free resources can be a great way to quickly get what you need. You’ll find many different ones online. For instance, YouTube has a number of free tutorials, and schools like Noble Desktop provide free project management resources so that students can get a better understanding of this field before they commit to a class. There are also online forums where people with more experience in this field are often happy to share information with newcomers. However, if you want to learn project management in order to work as a professional in this field, you’re unlikely to get the type of education you’ll need by using free resources. Instead, you’ll probably need to enroll in a paid class. Paid classes are generally much more comprehensive. In addition, most come with expert guidance and the assurance that you’re getting accurate and up-to-date information.

Introductory Classes

An introductory project management class may only take a matter of hours or days to complete, which makes this type of class one of the quickest ways to learn project management. Introductory classes are generally designed for beginners and cover the fundamentals of project management. If you plan to work professionally in the field of project management, you’ll probably need to take more than an introductory class, however, if you want to gain some basic skills or get a better idea of whether you want to work in this field, then an introductory class can be a great option. Introductory classes often come with a variety of flexible scheduling options. In many cases, you’ll find both in-person and live online classes, in addition to weekday, weekend, and evening options.

On-Demand Classes

If you’re new to the field of project management and you want to learn some basic skills, or if you’re trying to get a better understanding of whether or not you want to pursue a longer course, then an on-demand class is a relatively fast option. With an on-demand class, the material is pre-recorded and you work through it at your own pace. That means that you decide how fast the course is; if you’re motivated to finish, you can get through it quickly, or if you’d rather work more slowly, that is also an option. An on-demand class is unlikely to be comprehensive enough to prepare you for a professional career in project management, but it can be a good way to start the learning process. If you decide that you’re serious, you can then invest in a live class and learn more under the guidance of an experienced instructor.

Certificate Programs

Most certificate programs take a number of weeks or months to finish. While this is longer than an introductory course, a certificate program is much more comprehensive. Certificate programs are accelerated, which means that they are designed to teach you as much as possible in a relatively short amount of time. They are designed for students who need to learn a new set of skills but can’t devote years of their time to school. When you complete a certificate program, you’ll gain a comprehensive project management education, and you won’t need to spend years doing so. In addition, most certificate programs are designed to prepare you to actually work in that field, giving you the skills and the career support that you’ll need to find a job. Overall, a certificate program is a relatively quick way to learn project management. In comparison, a college degree--which will also prepare you to work in project management--takes years to complete.

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, 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.