How much do Project Managers make?

How much, on average, can I expect to make if I were to get a job as a Project Manager?

Would you say a system admin makes more or a project manager?

Find more posts tagged with

Save $250 on 2025 certification boot camps from Infosec!

Book now with code EOY2025

Button

Comments

sprkymrk

I'm the Sr LAN Admin on a small (400-500 users/computers, 30 servers) network. My boss, the PM, makes about 15K more than me.

Webmaster

In my experience a PM makes a lot more than a system admin, but it depends on more than just the job title. For example, which company you work for, the scope and budget of the project, the complexity of the system/project, and whether its a temp position (for the project only) or not. As with most jobs, experience can make a lot of difference too, for example if you successfully (within the budget and allotted time) completed several large projects, you can expect a higher salary as well. But these are two very different job roles so it's kinda comparing apples to oranges.

Do you have the opportunity to become a PM for a project?

garv221

Given a typical business position hierarchy, a PM makes more than a System Admin. You really have to look at who is making the decisions and giving input. The way it was explained to me a while ago is a PM is usually a thinker and System Admin is usually a do-er.

Kaminsky

In my experience a Project Manager <spit !> for some bizarre reason, does make a lot more than a sys admin but, the sys admin does a hella lot more work for a lot less pay. PMs have A LOT of meetings about doing things and you think they must be very important where as the sys admin just gets on and does it without all the sillyness. Time is precious to a sys admin.

Whoever made up the Prince2 certification should be shot in my opinion. All it has done is breed a whole race of computer wannabees ( of the hair dresser variety if you know your Hitchhikers Guide ) that just bleed info from the techies and claim it as their own work and huff and puff until it gets done, typically by the techie that suggested it in the first place. They make a big hoo hah about "we need to do this.. and we need to do that" where the sys admin just says "well.. Duh!" .. stop talking about it and get on and get it done and quit blowing your own trumpet ffs!

I completely ignore anyone who approaches me as a PM these days. They get no help from me..... They have to prove they know what they are talking about before I will give them the time of day. In introductory meetings, I will happily and mercilessly nail their a$$ to the floor big time if they dare to suggest it should be the IT techies providing the core of the project work drive.

Honestly, in 15 years of IT as a techie, I have never met a Project Manager worth spitting on. All they are good for is short term focusing in on a project that the techies don't have the time to get involved in. Once they have done it they should bugger off in my opinion. But NO ! .... they always hang on trying to inch their way into IT management... Really! time after time after time... Complete scumbags.

An Architect however ! ...... Now thats a completely different matter. An Architect is what I would consider a project manger. Brought in to roll out some new technlogy, facility, benefit. They turn up. Bish .. bash ... bosh ... ! Project is done and they are on the the next one. They make a truck load of money for doing what they do and it's important they move on fast. As a long term techie I can easily say, they earn every penny. No matter what question you pose them, they know the answer and they know it in spades. They bring together teams you didn't even know existed and generally the project gets up and running without too many hitches as they have already figured out the potential problems well in advance.
In and out with few hitches and then onto the next project..

That's my kind of Project Manager.

Just my penny worth.

networker050184

Kaminsky I think you have the wrong idea about project managers. They are not there to be the technical experts. Should they know the technology? Yes they should, but they are there for their PROJECT MANAGEMENT skills which encompasses a lot more than technical stuff. They are there to take all the non technical stuff on so the techies can do their job with out worrying about going to meetings and budgetss anf the such. PM's are there to make sure everything gets done by the right person with the right technical abilities. Think of them kind of like a football coach. Can the football coach go out there and run for a TD? Probably not, but he puts the right person in the right place at the right time to run that TD in!

flipside

Problems arise when the project manager act like they know the technology ...

JDMurray

flipside wrote:

Problems arise when the project manager act like they know the technology ...

In other words, problems arise when a PM makes decisions about things s/he knows little about, and those decisions should instead be made based on the recommendations of experts. This is a very common situation in all managed environments.

sprkymrk

JDMurray wrote:

flipside wrote:

Problems arise when the project manager act like they know the technology ...

In other words, problems arise when a PM makes decisions about things s/he knows little about, and those decisions should instead be made based on the recommendations of experts. This is a very common situation in all managed environments.

JDMurray = Wordsmith

As a side note, I am lucky in that my PM was the LAN Admin before me. He is now about 50/50 admin and PM.

felicia barnes

I agree.

shakeeb

binarysoul wrote:

How much, on average, can I expect to make if I were to get a job as a Project Manager?

Would you say a system admin makes more or a project manager?

hey bro i like your sense of humor
tell what are you doing now a days

binarysoul

shakeeb wrote:

binarysoul wrote:

How much, on average, can I expect to make if I were to get a job as a Project Manager?

Would you say a system admin makes more or a project manager?

hey bro i like your sense of humor
tell what are you doing now a days

I work as a network admin, but my job right now is focused on QoS and I'm slowly getting involved with VoIP and firewalls. I love technology, but since we're living in a money-based era, I have to ensure that my falling in love with technology doesn't deprive me of having extra money to better live in the money-based era at the expense of technology love (love is an extremely costly commodity

). For that reason, I'm exploring the possibility of moving into IT project management down the road. I have a business degree and good IT background, so that should put me in a good position to get a PM position.