Nahian Alam

Special guest

Between 2011 and 2014, I studied psychology at the University of Waterloo.

While I was in university, I worked in a psychology lab as a researcher. It was here I was first exposed to project management.

By the time I graduated in 2014, I realized my true passion did not lie in psychology and I was left aimless. After over 7 months of unemployment and trying to figure out what I would like to do next in my life, it became apparent what I enjoyed the most during my university career was my experience as a project manager.

As I searched for employment in this field, however, it became clear that what most employers wanted in a project manager with a technical background.

Having applied to hundreds of jobs to no avail, I began to change my approach and attain as much knowledge as I can about this field while volunteering my project management services to early-stage start-ups to gain more experience. I did all of this while competing with technically proficient project managers for every job I applied for.

Nearly 10 years after my initial foray into project management, I learned the ins and outs of working in this field. I figured out how to do my job efficiently and how to stick out from my peers so that my perceived weakness - my lack of technical knowledge - becomes my strength.

Since I graduated from university, I completed a post-graduate certificate in human resource management and eventually earned my Project Management Professional accreditation from the Project Management Institute.

I've learned much from my struggles and triumphs, and I hope to use my experience to encourage other aspiring non-technical project managers who may not know how to enter this dynamic field.

If you're an aspiring project manager who wants to get into the field and need guidance on where to start, DM me on LinkedIn and let's talk!

Nahian Alam has been a guest on 2 episodes.