My first time joining a community chat in quite a uncertain time in my career.
I work as a project manager within the Digital team at a design consultancy, and honestly, I have ZERO design skills. Everyone in my team is very capable within Digital and this leaves me feeling somewhat… stupid?!
My passion and desire for change is accessibility and inclusivity within ethnic minority groups. I would love to start a discussion around how Digital can help in that area and what someone like myself, with no skills or capability in the digital world can do and where I can upskill to be able to see a fruitful and impactful career.
I’m a designer, and my advice to you is to be curious and ask a lot of questions. I don’t expect my project managers to be designers too, but I love when they take an interest in my work (in a genuine way, not an overbearing or micromanaging way) and show respect for what I do. And then as a project manager you really win my heart by making the project run better and setting up circumstances that allow me to be my best designer self.
I know it’s hard to fully lean in to the beginner’s mindset when the rest of the team are experts. But if you’re curious and earnest about design they will love you and you’ll learn fast. I hope they wouldn’t expect you to be an expert at THEIR jobs, but rather an expert project manager who can help make their lives easier.