How did I get here? The career profile of Cynthia Smith, PMP.

Cynthia Smith lives in the Denver area and enjoys running, hiking, and singing. She has worked in IT for 15+ years and most recently worked as a Senior Project Manager at Oildex, which provides cloud-based accounting software for the oil and gas industry.

When did you first decide to become a project manager?

I was working as a programmer and developer for quite a few years and was ready to move on to something else. As a programmer, I became a default project manager for many of my projects and enjoyed planning the schedule and leading the team to which I was assigned. That led to my interest in becoming a project manager full time.

What was your academic and/or corporate background before you became a project manager?

As I mentioned I acted as a project manager on many of my programming projects so I was able to gain experience that way, and I decided to go back to school and obtain an MBA in project management.

If you made a transition, did your company support your transition to project manager?

Yes, I worked for Newfield Exploration at the time and they provided tuition assistance with my MBA in Project Management. I was also given the opportunity to lead a project as an ‘official’ project manager when the company decided to purchase an e-Discovery software package for the legal department.

Which credential do you have?

I have an MBA in Project Management and am PMP certified.

How has having your credential helped (or hurt?) your career?

It helped me transition to Oildex once I left Newfield. At that point, I had experience as a project manager but it was not my official job title with Newfield. My credentials showed I was serious about my transition to project management.

What advice would you give an aspiring project manager?

If you are an aspiring project manager you probably have excellent organizational skills. My advice: Attend courses or workshops to help improve your communication skills. You will be working with many different types of personalities and people with different backgrounds. Your ability to be an effective communicator will make a huge difference in the success of your projects.

Any final advice?

One of the best pieces of advice I was given by a mentor was to leave your emotions at the door when managing a project. Focus on the work and the success of the project. When conflicts and roadblocks occur, focus on the solution, not blame.

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