NAME

Ed Bentley

JOB TITLE

Project Manager

WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?

Fujitsu

Why did you decide to follow your career path?

It was by accident really.  I’ve always been interested in technology and while at university I decided I wanted to continue for my MA part time, but would need to find a job.  I started at NTL (now Virgin Media) on their technical support desk and was quickly picked up by their project teams to help them out when new products were being introduced, and soon after I decided to move into the project team. 

From there (and a few companies later) I progressed up to Project Manager and have been in this role for over 15 years. 

What are the three best bits about your job?

Working with people from around the world

Woking with the latest technology that can help people work better

Being able to travel around the world as part of my job.  It’s great being able to travel to countries that you may not always have the chance to visit for a holiday.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about a similar career?

• As a project manager, there is a wide range of industries that you could work in.  Pick one that interests you the most (e.g. IT, aerospace).
  • Get to know that industry the best you can over the next few years
  • Larger companies (such as Fujitsu) like to promote from within the organisation and offer further training and qualification.  When you are older and looking to do some work experience, contact them and see if they will consider you.  If you do get a placement, once it is finished, keep in contact, especially through university as you may be able to get a temporary position in the summer break. It will always be useful a later if you are applying to them for a job!
  • If you go onto university, look for companies offering graduate project manager opportunities.
  • If you do not go to university, you may need to start as a Project Administrator, but you’ll very quickly get exposed to the roles of Project Coordinator and Project Manager and progress that way.
• Always listen to other people, their views and consider them when making decisions
• Be honest
• Be organised
• Be good at maths as you may soon find yourself responsible for a multi-million pound budget
• There is a saying “keep experts on tap, not on top” and I think that fits well for a project manager.  You don’t need to be the expert on a given topic, you just need to know who they are, and how to best use their skills to deliver the project.