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We asked 80 project managers questions to determine if they were happy or unhappy with their careers. The results have revealed that most project managers are very neutral. In this post, we will discuss the reasons why project managers hate their careers and how often they change jobs.
In an online survey, we asked 80 project managers if they were happy; we found 25% of project managers were unhappy with their careers, 65% felt neutral about their careers, and only 10% said they were happy with their jobs. The main reasons why project managers hate their job are related to salary, long work hours, poor life-work balance and job stress.
Although 25% are unhappy as project managers, that does not mean that project management is a bad career. If you are considering a career in project management. We encourage you to check Is Project Management a Good Career? Honest Opinion.
However, working as a project manager requires a lot of commitment which means less time to do anything else. Our survey has also revealed why project managers hate their job.
The Reasons Why Project Managers Hate Their Job?
In a survey where we asked 80 project managers, what they hate about their job, we found that 29% of project managers hate their jobs because of low salaries, followed by 24% long work hours, 21% poor life-work balance, and 19% job stress. In addition, work, poor work environment and support were 5%, and high job responsibility was 3%.
Those reasons are also the main reasons why project managers quit or change jobs.
The salary was the biggest reason why project managers hated their job. Project managers, in general, are not paid well compared to the amount of work they do. Some project managers are underpaid, and some are well paid, which is why salary is the first reason project managers hate their job. We have also asked project managers to disclose their salaries. Click the link to see the results: We Asked 80 Project Managers: What Is Their Annual Salary?
Project managers work long hours; on average, project managers work 44.2 hours a week which is above the average working hours, which is 38. This put project managers in the overworked category. Check: We Asked 80 Project Managers: How Many Hours Do They Work?
Poor life-work balance and job stress are very common in project management as there is no standard time to when project managers start and finish w, makings it easy for project managers to bring work from the office to home, which brings stress and poor work support.
Project managers are also notorious for changing jobs. The following breaks down the results.
How Often Do Project Managers Change Jobs?
Our survey revealed that 28% of project managers change jobs every 1-2 years, while the majority change jobs every 3-5 years (44%), 21% change jobs every 6-10 years, and only 8% said they do not change jobs. The reason why project managers change jobs often is because of salary, followed by long work hours, poor life-work balance and job stress.
Because there is a high demand for project managers, changing jobs for a better salary or work conditions is very easy.
How To Know Its Time To Quit Your Project Management Job?
- Losing a promotion
- Your salary does not reflect your position
- Working above-average work hours
- Working in a toxic work environment
- Poor job support, which leads to high stress
