
Explore the project management profession and the role of a project manager, with guidance on important topics, international work, and crafting a compelling cv for three personas.
Learn how a project manager orchestrates a cross-functional team to transform ideas into reality, balancing resources, risks, and delivery across agile or predictive methods.
Explore how the project manager career spans traditional predictive roles and agile roles like scrum master and product owner, uniting ideas with reality across projects, programs, and pmos.
Ricardo Vargas shares a project management journey from chemical engineering to PMI and PMBOK, highlighting global leadership at UNOPS and his passion for translating knowledge into real-world impact.
Identify the three project manager personas—junior, PM, and senior—and learn how degree, credentials, and especially experience shape progression across career stages.
Build your project management career brick by brick, valuing courses, degrees, and credentials, while juniors focus on foundational certifications like PMP, Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and PRINCE2.
Learn to work internationally by mastering English communication, embracing cultural awareness, and navigating visas for remote collaboration and global project management.
Learn to craft a project manager CV with powerful highlights, quantified achievements, and role-specific ordering for junior, mid-level, and senior positions, plus a tailored cover letter.
Prepare for the interview day by researching the company and position, using real-life examples, and adapting to the organization's culture with concise, honest responses.
Practice ethical career branding by presenting truthful credentials in your CV, interview, and online profiles; avoid inflating experience, fake degrees, or misrepresenting work rights to protect your reputation.
In this FREE Online course, Ricardo uses his experience in project management to share some of his thoughts on how to build and enhance your opportunities for a successful career in Project Management.
In 15 lessons covering 2 hours of course and supporting materials, Ricardo is honest and straightforward, explaining what is to be a project manager. He goes from the different names and titles to how he sees the three main "personas" in the project management career and how they relate to formal education, certification, and experience.
In the course, he also discusses your CV, the interview process, how to behave and promote yourself on social media, and how ethics and honesty shape your success.
The course was developed as part of his work to support his colleagues globally to find the same joy and happiness he found in his 25 years of experience as a project manager and advocate for the profession. His initiative started in 2020 with the release of the What Matters Series on his Youtube Channel, which includes this free online courses and other works like the scholarship program on his online school.
The course was recorded in English with subtitles in English, Brazilian Portuguese (Português do Brasil), Spanish (Español), French (Français), Arabic (عربى) and Simplified Chinese (中文).
What you will learn:
What means to be a project manager
The difference between a project manager's job and other related jobs
The three "personas" in project management
How to craft your CV and highlight your profile based on your seniority in project management
How to get the much-desired "experience"
Do certifications matter?
How to be successful in a PM job interview
Working Internationally as project manager
Ethics and honesty shaping success
Curriculum:
1 - Introduction
1.1 - Why Did I Create This Course about Careers in Project Management (1:54)
1.2 - What Does It Mean To Be a Project Manager? (3:35)
1.3 - Not Every Position Advertised as "Project Manager" is an Actual Project Manager Position (7:07)
1.4 - Project Manager, Scrum Master, Product Owner, Program Director: The Challenges of Labels (8:31)
1.5 - Ricardo Vargas Bio (Optional)
Podcast (Optional) - Suggested 5 Minutes Podcast Episodes Covering principles and other related topics
Video - What Matters Series - Episode 1: Passion (Optional)
Video - What Matters Series - Episode 2: Options (Optional)
2- Paving the way
2.1 - The Three Project Manager "Personas" (15:47)
2.2 - Do Certifications, Degrees and Courses Really Matter? (9:50)
2.3 - How to Achieve What Matters Most: Experience (13:48)
2.4 - Working Internationally as a Project Manager (8:24)
Podcast (Optional) - Suggested 5 Minutes Podcast Episodes Covering principles and other related topics
Video - What Matters Series - Episode 3: Roadmap
3 – Showcasing Yourself
3.1 - Preparing your CV as a Project Manager (17:09)
3.2 - Presenting Yourself in Social Media and Networking (8:26)
3.3 - The Interview Day (9:34)
3.4 - Ethics and Honesty When You Introduce Yourself (4:30)
3.5 - Career is Built Step-by-Step: Course Closing and Next Steps (1:11)
Podcast (Optional) - Suggested 5 Minutes Podcast Episodes Covering principles and other related topics
Video - What Matters Series - Episode 4: Attitude (Optional)
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