Reply to: Always end up in boring roles

[Cirrus]

Mr Monita - is prison really right for you??

What am I doing wrong?

It's not what you are doing wrong.

The worst job in the world - by far - is project management. This is slightly unfortunate given the vast number of jobs and the half decent rates.

Except that project management is not actually the worst job. The totally worst ever job is what you do. It has all the pointlessness, impotence, frustration and mental torture of project management only with even more utterly useless spreadsheets/powerpoints/Clarity etc etc. It's not a job; it's a punishment.

It's not what you're doing wrong; it's what you did wrong. In a previous life. And need to atone for.

You have to stand back and ask yourself "Is there any possible crime I could have committed that justifies my carrying on any further? I've led a blameless life so surely I can be released from this endless torment?"

Then hand in your notice and get a better job.

(That is of course if you really have led a blameless life.)

[northernladuk]

Go permanent for a bit.

There are plenty of medium size companies who need PMs.

Totally this. The money is good contracting but not good enough to be fed up all the time. Short term hit in a permie role will pay dividends when you can come back on a better rate and enjoy it more.

[SueEllen]

Thank you all for your thoughts - it's helpful.

PMO is not necessary what I always wanted to do, but life happened and I am now competent enough to get jobs and contracts easily. I agree, the money is good and work is work - it can get boring for everyone, but I find myself hating it every day.

I used to think that the problem is always in client co or my employer, but I am starting to realise that it is somewhere else. I suppose I would probably prefer becoming a PM - but how. I did all possible training but the experience is the key.

Go permanent for a bit.

There are plenty of medium size companies who need PMs.

[monita]

Thank you all for your thoughts - it's helpful.

PMO is not necessary what I always wanted to do, but life happened and I am now competent enough to get jobs and contracts easily. I agree, the money is good and work is work - it can get boring for everyone, but I find myself hating it every day.

I used to think that the problem is always in client co or my employer, but I am starting to realise that it is somewhere else. I suppose I would probably prefer becoming a PM - but how. I did all possible training but the experience is the key.

I don't want to do charity, but I want to make difference in client companies, improve systems, deliver something useful.

I suppose my hope was that with seniority and experience I'll get more *interesting* and challenging work in PMO. But I recently got a new contract which seemed great, 2 months in and I am already fed up.

[FrontEnder]

Always end up in boring roles....

PMO
.

[TheFaQQer]

edit: to be clear I want to make difference, learn new things, advance. But I don't see many opportunities to do so - whether it's a permie role or a contract.

That's life, Jim. Some roles are interesting, some just aren't.

[jjdarg]

I work in PMO, too, have been for 13 years, so usually end up heading programme offices. I can guarantee, it generally doesn't get more interesting with seniority.

Most clients aren't interested in having a PMO run the way it could be; they just want all the paperwork and administrative headaches that bother them done on time. Introducing little changes is helpful, but you also need the client willing to invest in those sorts of changes. More often than not, the Programme Directors (and most contract gigs nowadays are public sector) tend to be micro-managers who don't want to touch anything they are not familiar with (and most of them are just familiar with MSP and PRINCE2, which more or less cuts off a whole world of project and programme management knowledge and methods) or the whole organisation is wed to entering data into an enterprise tool, which takes up an inordinate amount of time and tends to drive everything else. So once the PMO is set up and doing its reporting cycle, it can be a pretty boring place.

Why do I do it? It's a niche skill and pays a bit better than being a PM. There may not be as much demand, but I can guarantee, when roles are released, I get contacted about most of them. PMs usually have to compete with 200+ other applicants. I am usually contacted by the agencies.

The thing that spices it up for me is the type of client and programme you are working on and the sense of mission you can feel from supporting delivery efforts for interesting initiatives, and in a PMO, you get a unique birds-eye view of the whole programme which members of the various delivery teams rarely have - and that can be pretty cool sometimes.

If you want to remain a generalist but want an opportunity to flourish, I would recommend going permie. I would suggest, though, if you are still relatively junior, maybe specialising in planning and becoming a geek about it. Good planners are like hens' teeth - it took us 5 months to find a decent one once.

[ladymuck]

I noticed your edit about "making a difference". Do you mean charity work? What sort of a difference are you hoping to make while still earning more than a permie, and way more than any volunteer?

You need to pick an industry that you think is worthy. I'd say avoid banking, pharmaceuticals, oil & gas, government, marketing, retail, and hospitality sectors.

[kaiser78]

And also an amusing story about a "mate" in a boring gig, and how they got binned off.

qh

And then came back on double the rate...

[GB9]

I'm guessing the OP came from an Indian consultancy and jumped ship while here.

The problem is that to further their career prospects would likely mean returning to an Indian consultancy where they would be paid a fraction, with no guarantee of improvement and the possibility of a return home.

Try training and applying for more senior roles.

[quackhandle]

PC will be along to give some advice on how to make unskilled low end gigs more interesting shortly.

And also an amusing story about a "mate" in a boring gig, and how they got binned off.

qh

[northernladuk]

PC will be along to give some advice on how to make unskilled low end gigs more interesting shortly.

[NotAllThere]

Is it because all your projects are road or rail tunnels?

[northernladuk]

Have you considered that your chosen line of work isn't right for you? If you don't like PMO work, see about retraining into something that does interest you. It's not a bad thing to realise you're in the wrong career.

If you're expecting excitement from contracting, then you went into it for the wrong reasons. It's just a job at the end of the day.

This. You could of course end up in situations where it's a complete dogs dinner and you are the scape goat which wouldn't be exciting either.

Are your clients more or less the same? Try different clients like big corporates if you've always been at small outfits or something. It will provide a change but hardly think exciting is the word.

I think your statement that you'd be on a fraction of the money is wrong though. It will be notably less but I don't think it would be a fraction and if you get something you like and possibly grow in it could be a short term hit until you can come back in a more senior role that's more challenging? Certifications don't really cut it alone and clients aren't open to giving you new stuff to learn on. You are expensive and they want skilled people.

Be careful about IR35 if you are asking for extra work above and beyond your contract as well.

[ladymuck]

Have you considered that your chosen line of work isn't right for you? If you don't like PMO work, see about retraining into something that does interest you. It's not a bad thing to realise you're in the wrong career.

If you're expecting excitement from contracting, then you went into it for the wrong reasons. It's just a job at the end of the day.