Master's Of Science In Project Management example essay topic

1,265 words
The Master of Science in Project Management will fast forward the development of my knowledge, performance and personal competencies in order to reach my career goals. It will give me a state of art project management skills and techniques and it will be the jump-start I need to direct my career into Project Management Consulting, an exciting field with enormous growth potential in Latin America. The first step of my academic career was completed when I received my major of Civil Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paran'a, Brazil, as one of the top 15 students. During the second year of my Bachelor's Degree I decided to have on job training.

I began my professional experience as an intern in JARKKO POY RY GROUP, during this internship I figure out how to interact with the team, the interpersonal behavior that I should have, how leadership is important and how project management is essential to a successfully project completion. Than I engaged myself in a great project, that was already completed, Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant. I reckon that in large projects the schedules have to be done very carefully and the control has to be very efficient. I was really fascinated by Project Management and I started reading a lot about this field and I figure out that the growth potential in Brazil was really good. In this point of my professional career I was hired at Grantec T'ecnica de Construc~ao Ltda. My mission was to implement ISO 9001: 1994.

The company received the Certificate, but the most important think were the "lessons learned", such as the comprehension of the organizational culture, the making decisions process, the ways to identify a problem, the commitment to the company goals, that sometimes I have to be flexible and never give up, be dynamic, patient and persistent. At this moment, I finished my bachelor's degree and started the second step on my academic career enhancing the Executive MBA La to Sensu graduate course in Project Management in Get " uli o Vargas Foundation, known as one of the best schools of Project Management in Brazil because of its comprehensive curriculum, faculty and alumni network. During this course, I consistently ranked the top 10% as a result of my grades, motivation and engagement. While I was attending this course I was challenged with some other projects in Grantec, such as the construction of Multiplex Cinema theaters for international companies, United Cinemas International (UCI) and Cine Box, and for a national company, Severiano Ribeiro Group, the biggest Brazilian cinema operator, and the construction of an electrical sub-plant for PETRO BR " AS, in the position of Planning and Quality Manager.

These projects varied between US$500,000.00 to 2,000,000.00, providing me relevant practice into project management as I was involved with technical and personal issues, such as the necessity of having a very effective way of communication between the site and the office, effective coordination of the documentation of the project, leadership and team spirit for keeping the work within the schedule and quality budgeted. Currently, I am the Project Manager of the construction of a Hotel for a group of Brazilian investors. As I am involved in this project since it's beginning, I am now really applying some project management tools and techniques. At this point, taking into consideration both academic and career experience and future plans, I feel that I have to deepen my knowledge in the field of project management to reach my goals. My interest in studying Project Management at The George Washington University is based firstly on the opportunity students have to engage in experiential learning projects and to meet and interact with successful project managers, providing me the opportunity to study some project management best practices and the possibility of bringing these practices to a less developed market in Latin America is appealing to me.

Secondly, the school has Professional Associations and Journals, which will certainly keep me up to date, improving my knowledge, as well as giving me a solid background in order to have a research position. In addition, The George Washington University offers several courses on relevant topics for professionals in the project management field. Planning and Scheduling, Project Estimating and Cost Management courses and the Capstone Course are especially interesting for me. Furthermore, this program achieves in both practical and theory sides of project management and it is widely respected and known worldwide. The Project Management Professional Exam I plan to take during the Master's program is of particular interest to me, as this title will certainly contribute to my career. Brazil goes along with all the other nations in the search of an efficient organizational process.

The recent increment in project management knowledge, tolls and techniques implementation in companies and governmental institutions, as well as the implementation of Project Management Office (PMO) have led me to the realization that opportunities for growth in the field of Project Management should not be overlooked. So that, my short-term career plan is to pursue the certificate of the Master of Science in Project Management, as this program will greatly enhance my academic background while allowing me to conduct researches about how project management best practices are used in developed countries, especially in United States. To reach my long-term career plan, my intermediate step includes working in a consulting company or in an institution that utilize project management knowledge, as a project manager. In this position, I will be able to apply some best practices learned during my Master's degree, use new tools and techniques, analyze significant deviations and forecast their impact on the organization and projects in order to establish measures of success, quantify value commensurate with cost, optimize the use of organizational resources and put strategic plans into practice. The Master's degree and this work experience will be fundamental for my long-term career plan. My long-term career plan is to have my own Consulting Company in Project Management.

So that I will be able to coach companies and institutions, personalize the best practices for their realities, training and empowering them with efficient methodologies and tools, as well as helping them to develop low cost, easy to implement technical solutions, providing them competitive differentials. In addition to all the opportunities related to project management in Brazil, I also plan to embrace the teaching career. My participation in undergraduate and graduate courses or certificate programs by means of the delivery of tailored courses and lectures will enable me to share my knowledge and increase the project management community in Brazil. Regarding this academic interest, a Doctorate Degree in the field is certainly part of my long-term goals as well. I would like to conclude my statement by saying that my goals in regard to Project Management are well defined. They will ultimately lead me to a research field.

My choice of taking a Master's of Science in Project Management, has also been made bearing in mind the opportunities I may have in the development of PMI Handbooks, as well as my participation in Professional Development Seminars and PMI Global Congress presenting my researches and publications. In my country, I intend to stimulate the interest in project management by forming associations with institutions that can promote seminars and congresses, and particularly offer specialized courses in the field. Finally, I am available for an interview, at your convenience..