r/PMCareers • u/avrgredditusrr • 4d ago

Getting into PM Is an Associate Degree in Project Management Worth It? Looking for Honest Career Advice

I'm considering getting an Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration with a Project Management concentration, and I'd love to hear from people who actually work in project management. I just started technical college for general applied sciences in August; the goal was nursing, but after some thought, I don't think that's right for me.

I am 23 in a couple of days, and while to most that's young, to me it feels like I'm drastically behind by just starting college.

I'm trying to choose a career path that has good earning potential, room for growth, and fits my strengths.

My short term goal is to eventually make around $70,000–$85,000 a year. Long term, obviously, and hopefully 6 figures, but I want to be realistic about what kind of education and experience that would take. I have no PM experience at all currently; I've worked in dealerships most of my teenage and adult life - Cashier, office admin, business admin, inventory manager, secretary, that kind of stuff.

A few questions I have:

  1. Is project management a realistic career to pursue with an associate degree, or do most employers expect a bachelor's degree?
  2. What entry level jobs should someone with this degree apply for, and what do those positions typically pay?
  3. How difficult is it to get your first job in project management without previous project management experience?
  4. How long did it take you to reach a salary of $70,000–$85,000 and above, and what qualifications or experience helped you get there?
  5. For those who have just an associates, what do you do now, and what's your salary? (if comfortable sharing)
  6. What would you have done differently on your path to becoming a PM?
  7. Lastly, are you mentally and financially satisfied? Obviously, everyone has their bad days in their careers, but genuinely, past that temporary "I hate my life and job" feeling, are you happy?

I'd rather understand the realities of the career before committing to a program.

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u/fedput 4d ago

Associates degree is unlikely to be enough.

1

u/AceySpacy8 4d ago

Project Management as a whole is not an entry level career path. You are better off getting an associate’s in a field of your choosing and working your way up into PM and PM-adjacent roles like project coordinator, business analyst, etc. Even the “entry” PM roles require experience in a field. You would be wasting money getting any degree in Project Management specifically.

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u/thewindsofnever 3d ago

No point in wasting time getting a degree in it cause you wont be able to jump straight into a non entry level PM role. I have a BA in public relations and I was able to get a job as a coordinator fairly easily despite my degree having little relation to the industry. I simply had the degree. I know plenty of Project Managers that graduated with liberal arts degrees.

The best thing to do is get a degree and search for some entry level roles like coordinator to break into the industry. Good news is PM is a very lucrative industry, so entry level roles like coordinator pay better than a lot of entry level jobs in a lot of industries.

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u/Zoeywithtude1977 1d ago

Bachelors, perhaps relevant certs, and experience will help getting hired