I feel like it is more important to start on the engineering side and have a good background in that. This path may take longer to get to become a project manager but I feel like it is crucial to have the background experience in this field before you start to manage people within it. One of the big benefits of working in the field first is that you will have a better idea of how long tasks take and have a more realistic grasp of what is actually feasible for the engineers you are managing to accomplish. I feel like having the background in engineering is countless times more valuable for this than a project management background since it is much easier to make up for a knowledge deficiency in project management than in engineering principles. That being said if you have a background in management and you have a good team of engineers they can also make up for a lack of engineering experience.

Again I have to agree with @ac825 because as indicated by the PMI Talent Triangle, a manager requires technical project management, leadership, as well as strategic and business management skills. Without technical experience, working previously as an engineer, your only technical understanding is whatever experiences you can draw from during your time in school and we all know academia is very different from industry. I believe having worked first as an engineer gives you the ability to relate more to your team and provide more effective/constructive feedback. Along the way, ones' seniority in a team of engineers should show which helps them develop the other qualities expected from a project manager. Currently, I am working a job in industry as an engineer, however, simultaneously gaining project management experience through research. I am hoping to hone my skills and apply them to further my career and the companies I work for in the future. Anyone go directly into the project management side of industry and occasionally feel disconnected from the technical work being done?

I completely agree with @ac825 in that it is definitely more important and beneficial to start off as an engineer and then move over to the project management side of things. Like with most parts of life, one cannot become an expert in something without having to gain experience and exposure to it first. Working as an engineer first will provide you knowledge of the product that cannot be obtained from just reading a manual on it or watching a presentation. I feel that knowing the ins and outs of the product through first hand experience is actually going to prepare you even better for a project management role than having a good management background will as it is much easier to learn how to work with vendors, distribute work, and set a timeline with realistic expectations in accordance with upper management demands with that prior knowledge obtained from working on the product itself. If you came over with strictly just management experience, while your team of engineers may be able to provide insight to how realistic or unrealistic a timeline is with their previous experience, I feel it would take longer to grow accustomed to these situations as you have less experience working with all these different sources while coming from engineering to a project management role means you have been working with them the entire time you were there, even if it was indirectly and have a better idea of how things flow.

Continuing with this train of thought, an project manager that comes from engineering will be able to provide better feedback to management regarding the feasibility of what they are asking for and the timeline they want it in, as well as provide better details on issues that come up because they have prior knowledge of the product that makes it easier for them to work on and determine issues, whereas one without engineering experience is completely reliant on their team to provide the necessary details and is likely going to be unable to determine if upper management is asking for too much or not at the beginning, but will eventually be able to make those determinations as they gain more experience with everything they work with.

I believe that it is important and beneficial for someone who wants to go into project management to first work as a project engineer or work in the fields so to say. This is because there are certain skill set that are gained when doing the project yourself rather than planning it. For example, being able to know how much time a certain process in reality takes and be able to plan it out will make the project manager a much more effective manager. Also it is important to be able to communicate with those that are doing the work in your process. By working on the field, you gain those communication skills and are able to learn what works best and what doesn't so that when your sole job is to plan and make sure a project is on track, the project manager has all the soft skills they can get when planning. Additionally it is good to have someone lead a project who has been on the team for some time so that the team dynamic shift is minimal. 

I agree with all of the posts made in this forum that it is ideal to have experience working as an engineer before stepping into a project manager role. Being a project manager is a huge responsibility as you are responsible for seeing the entire product from start to finish. It is not practical to become a project manager without having some experience as an engineer on a team first as you gain first hand knowledge and hands on experience. It is important for project managers to have strong technical and problem solving skills since many things do tend to go wrong in projects. Strong technical and problem solving skills are best achieved after spending time working as an engineer on multiple projects as you are exposed to a wide variety of experiences. Eventually I would like to step into a project manager role, however, I would feel more comfortable doing so after gaining more experience to ensure I can put by best abilities forward as a project manager. 

I will play devil's advocate here and say that it is just as beneficial to start out on management than it is starting out on the technical side. I think there is value to whichever side. While yes it's great to have technical background and knowledge before moving into a management role as a PM, it can be beneficial to have a great leader and manager who can truly motivate his/her team to complete their objectives. Sometimes those who start out in engineering find that moving into management is difficult because it is so different from what they done previously. Having management skills is underestimated in this day and age. I feel like someone who has been an engineer cannot just jump into project management right away and be successful. Same as someone who starts in management and trying to do an engineer's job.

I think it is important to have a connection with the personnel you work with. This connection could be from working in similar positions to them in the past. When managing a group, having that foundation and understanding between one another can help in multiple aspects of the project including planning and communication. 

Working in an engineering position prior to becoming project manager is beneficial from not only the experience of working as part of the team in the project, but also working under a different person managing the project. A lot can be learned when observing someone else's habits and work, so being observant and taking lessons from prior experiences could help in leading a project of your own. Having that experience before being a manager can really help the project flourish and proceed in a timely manner, but likewise allow your own performance as a manager to be better off because of  the understanding of the situations and conditions of the people working on the project.

Contrary to most of my peers I believe that it can go either way, in that whether you start off as a team member or go straight into management comes down to you and your personality skills more so than your technical skills. When we graduate regardless of our GPA we all come out with, for the most part, the same fundamental skills and understanding. Your professional experience and what you learn on the job is what really propels you in your career regardless of whether it's a manager or team member role. But at the same time just because you have great technical skills and are good at the job doesn't mean you'd be a good manager. The saying goes "Players play and coaches coach" for a reason. Your personality and discipline are what would really determine how well you'd perform in any management role.  

I believe that starting off as an engineer on a project is crucial and may pave the way to becoming a successful project manager. This is due to the fact that a manager may be able to better relate to the projects at hand and the amount of time and effort that each project requires, thus enabling the manager to make more constructive decisions. The manager may also provide more knowledgeable feedback regarding the project status and what must be changed/improved to reach targeted goals.  

I think that it is strongly suggested that some engineering experience is necessary for being to understand what is needed to be a project manager. Most project manager would benefit from having that experience as it will allow them to translate what their team members want and are doing to what a middle manager might understand. However for a more managerial job I don't think engineering experience is required and it is not necessarily a detriment. The work ethic and capacity to outline goals are what I would say are more line with what a managerial job requires.

I think it is important to have a background in both engineering and management in order to become a project manager. I agree with the above posts that engineering experience is fundamental for a project manager to understand the technical side of the project. A project manager with an engineering degree would most likely fully understand the design control process which is critical for successful execution of a project. With a management background only, it is still possible to learn about these topics, however it is significantly more beneficial if the individual has gone through the design development process themselves. This way they are definitely more experienced in the field as well. Engineers are normally analytical and good at problem solving in nature. These are great skills for any project manager to have. In addition to an engineering background, it is also important that project managers have a background in management. While it may not be necessary for a project manager to attend graduate school before becoming a project manager, it is essential project managers are good at communicating and know how to manage multiple tasks at once. Additionally, there are various other skills that project managers must exhibit in order to operate a successful team. Such skills include effective communication, negotiation, scheduling/time management, and leadership. 

I think this is an excellent question! Becoming a project manager is something that I can see myself doing in the future and I've spoken to several project managers where I currently work about their career paths/experiences. I think it's important to understand that each company handles PM differently, so I can really only speak to my company. I've found that most project managers have been engineers with technical backgrounds. Having a good understanding of the technical side of the project can help better define timelines and resource allocation then compared to a non-technical project manager. I've also heard experiences of project managers becoming technical leads and vice versa. This would give the project manager an even better understanding of the project since they were deep in the technical weeds. Overall, I think having a technical project manager is advantageous because that manager is able to fully understand and explain the project and any problems that would need to be addressed while also understanding how to best move forward for the project. 

Personally, I see myself working in R&D as an engineer to gain as much technical experience as I possibly can. After a few years I think getting an MBA, PMP, or CAPM can be advantageous and propel myself to the more managerial side of things. I think being an engineer first is really important because it give you familiarity to problems that may arise and allow you to properly guide others because of it.

Thanks,
Matt

As an engineer, it is important to factor everything in. Working in teams can give a better view of how to run a project since you are working within the project itself. The engineer can get all the abilities and knowledge necessary to eventually be able to lead a bigger project because they can understand every aspect of it at every phase. A project manager needs a lot of training and skills to be able to oversee the project as a whole. If the project manager was a team member before, they can make better decisions about the project because they have been exposed to all the challenges that can arise in any project.