Browse Upskilled
Courses
SkillsTalk
Studying with us
Corporate
Contact us
Student login
Back
Information Technology
Data & Ai
Digital Ops
Cyber Security
Programming & Web development
Cloud Computing
Business & Administration
Leadership & Management
Marketing
Community services
Counselling
Ageing & Disability Support
Study areas
View all courses
Back
SkillsTalk Blog
Career advice
Change jobs
Develop your career
Financial advice
Find a job
Return to work
Work from home
News
Study advice
Study online
Continue your education
Pathways to university
Self Improvement
Government Assistance
All study advice
Jobs by industry
Business Industry
IT Industry
Community Services Industry
Explore Job Roles
View all
Courses by career
Small Business Owner
Human Resource Officer
Business Administrator
Business Leader / Manager
Marketing Manager
Work Health & Safety
Project Manager
Web Developer
Cyber Security
IT Systems Administrator
Disability Support Worker
Counselling
View all
Back
FAQ's
Studying at Upskilled
Upskilled Partner Short Courses
Additional Learning Content
Ways to Pay
How to Enrol
Student Support
Individual Course Questions
View all
More Info
Online Learning
Qualifications
Career Outcomes
All FAQs
Government funding
Australia wide
South Australia
Queensland (HigherLevels)
Queensland (Certificate 3 Guarantee)
ACT
Northern Territory
Why Upskilled
Why Upskilled
Student stories
Meet our trainers
About Upskilled
About Upskilled
Who we work with
Jobs at Upskilled
Meet the team
Back
Short Courses *
Entry to Tech Skill Set
Cert III
Information Technology
Cert IV
Information Technology
Networking
Systems Administration Support
Diploma
Information Technology
Advanced Networking
Back
Short Courses *
Tableau Certification Training
Data Science with Python
CBAP Certification
Degree
Professional Certificate Program in Business Analysis
Professional Certificate Program in Data Analytics
Professional Certificate Program In Data Science
Bootcamp *
Data Scientist
Data Analyst
Artificial Intelligence Engineer
Automation Test Engineer
Big Data Engineer
Back
Short Courses *
Agile Scrum Master (ASM) Certification
Salesforce Administrator & Developer
PMP Certification
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
ITIL 4 Foundation Certification
Prince 2 Foundations and Practitioner Training
PMI-RMP Certification
CAPM Certification
Prince 2 Foundations Certification
TOGAF® 9 Combined Level 1 and Level 2 Training
Bootcamp *
Business Analyst
PMP Plus Professional
Lean Six Sigma Specialist
ITIL 4 Managing Professional
Digital Project Manager
DevOps Specialist
Back
Short Courses *
Basic Cyber Security
CEH v12 - Certified Ethical Hacking
CISA Certification Training
CISSP Certification
CISM Certification
CompTIA Security+ Certification
Cert III
Focus on Basic Cyber Security Awareness
Bootcamp *
Cyber Security Specialist
Cyber Security Professional
Diploma
Cyber Security
Back
Bootcamp *
UX/UI Design
Full Stack Web Developer - MEAN Stack
Cert III
Web Development
Programming
Short Courses *
Deep Learning with Keras & TensorFlow Course
Cert IV
Web Development
Programming
Back
Bootcamp *
Cloud Architect
AWS Cloud Architect
Azure Cloud Architect
Cert III
Basic Cloud Computing
Short Courses *
Google Cloud Architect Certification
AWS Technical Essentials Certification
Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate
Diploma
Cloud Engineering
Degree
Applied Cloud Technology
Post Graduate Program in Cloud Computing
Back
Bootcamp *
Business Analyst
Short Courses *
Introduction to Project Management
Cert IV
Entrepreneurship & New Business
Human Resources
Business Leadership
Business Operations
Project Management Practice
Business Administration
Business
Work, Health and Safety
Cert III
Business
Business Administration
Diploma
Project Management
Human Resources
Business
Business Leadership
Business Operations
Business Organisational Development
Work, Health and Safety
Back
Short Courses *
Introduction to Leadership & Management
Advanced Leadership & Management
Cert IV
Leadership & Management
Diploma
Leadership & Management
Back
Short Courses *
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Essentials
Personal Branding
Linkedin Marketing
Facebook Marketing
Youtube Markteing
Social Media Strategy
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Advanced Pay Per Click (PPC)
Cert IV
Marketing & Communications
Diploma
Marketing & Communication
Social Media Marketing
Back
Short Courses *
Introduction to Community Services
Cert III
Cert III in Community Services
Individual Support (Disability )
Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community)
Cert IV
Mental Health
Alcohol and Other Drugs
Diploma
Community Services
Community Services (Case Management)
Counselling
Advanced Diploma Community Sector Management
Back
Short Courses *
Counseling
Diploma
Counselling
Back
Cert III
Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community)
Individual Support (Disability)
Back
Statement of Attainment
Bootcamp
Short course
Certificate III
Certificate IV
Diploma
Degree
VIEW ALL COURSES
Close menu
Online training - access your course anytime, anywhere! Call us on
1300 009 924
Student login
Courses
Information Technology
Data & Ai
Digital Ops
Cyber Security
Programming & Web development
Cloud Computing
Business & Administration
Leadership & Management
Marketing
Community services
Counselling
Ageing & Disability Support
View all courses
Short Courses *
Entry to Tech Skill Set
Cert III
Information Technology
Cert IV
Information Technology
Networking
Systems Administration Support
Diploma
Information Technology
Advanced Networking
Short Courses *
Tableau Certification Training
Data Science with Python
CBAP Certification
Degree
Professional Certificate Program in Business Analysis
Professional Certificate Program in Data Analytics
Professional Certificate Program In Data Science
Bootcamp *
Data Scientist
Data Analyst
Artificial Intelligence Engineer
Automation Test Engineer
Big Data Engineer
Short Courses *
Agile Scrum Master (ASM) Certification
Salesforce Administrator & Developer
PMP Certification
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
ITIL 4 Foundation Certification
Prince 2 Foundations and Practitioner Training
PMI-RMP Certification
CAPM Certification
Prince 2 Foundations Certification
TOGAF® 9 Combined Level 1 and Level 2 Training
Bootcamp *
Business Analyst
PMP Plus Professional
Lean Six Sigma Specialist
ITIL 4 Managing Professional
Digital Project Manager
DevOps Specialist
Short Courses *
Basic Cyber Security
CEH v12 - Certified Ethical Hacking
CISA Certification Training
CISSP Certification
CISM Certification
CompTIA Security+ Certification
Cert III
Focus on Basic Cyber Security Awareness
Bootcamp *
Cyber Security Specialist
Cyber Security Professional
Diploma
Cyber Security
Bootcamp *
UX/UI Design
Full Stack Web Developer - MEAN Stack
Cert III
Web Development
Programming
Short Courses *
Deep Learning with Keras & TensorFlow Course
Cert IV
Web Development
Programming
Bootcamp *
Cloud Architect
AWS Cloud Architect
Azure Cloud Architect
Cert III
Basic Cloud Computing
Short Courses *
Google Cloud Architect Certification
AWS Technical Essentials Certification
Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate
Diploma
Cloud Engineering
Degree
Applied Cloud Technology
Post Graduate Program in Cloud Computing
Bootcamp *
Business Analyst
Short Courses *
Introduction to Project Management
Cert IV
Entrepreneurship & New Business
Human Resources
Business Leadership
Business Operations
Project Management Practice
Business Administration
Business
Work, Health and Safety
Cert III
Business
Business Administration
Diploma
Project Management
Human Resources
Business
Business Leadership
Business Operations
Business Organisational Development
Work, Health and Safety
Short Courses *
Introduction to Leadership & Management
Advanced Leadership & Management
Cert IV
Leadership & Management
Diploma
Leadership & Management
Short Courses *
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Essentials
Personal Branding
Linkedin Marketing
Facebook Marketing
Youtube Markteing
Social Media Strategy
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Advanced Pay Per Click (PPC)
Cert IV
Marketing & Communications
Diploma
Marketing & Communication
Social Media Marketing
Short Courses *
Introduction to Community Services
Cert III
Cert III in Community Services
Individual Support (Disability )
Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community)
Cert IV
Mental Health
Alcohol and Other Drugs
Diploma
Community Services
Community Services (Case Management)
Counselling
Advanced Diploma Community Sector Management
Short Courses *
Counseling
Diploma
Counselling
Cert III
Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community)
Individual Support (Disability)
Course levels
Statement of Attainment
Bootcamp
Short course
Certificate III
Certificate IV
Diploma
Degree
VIEW ALL COURSES
CareerTalk
SkillsTalk Blog
Career advice
Change jobs
Develop your career
Financial advice
Find a job
Return to work
Work from home
News
Study advice
Study online
Continue your education
Pathways to university
Self Improvement
Government Assistance
All study advice
Jobs by industry
Business Industry
IT Industry
Community Services Industry
Explore Job Roles
View all
Courses by career
Small Business Owner
Human Resource Officer
Business Administrator
Business Leader / Manager
Marketing Manager
Work Health & Safety
Project Manager
Web Developer
Cyber Security
IT Systems Administrator
Disability Support Worker
Counselling
View all
Studying with us
FAQ's
Studying at Upskilled
Upskilled Partner Short Courses
Additional Learning Content
Ways to Pay
How to Enrol
Student Support
Individual Course Questions
View all
More Info
Online Learning
Qualifications
Career Outcomes
All FAQs
Government funding
Australia wide
South Australia
Queensland (HigherLevels)
Queensland (Certificate 3 Guarantee)
ACT
Northern Territory
Why Upskilled
Why Upskilled
Student stories
Meet our trainers
About Upskilled
About Upskilled
Who we work with
Jobs at Upskilled
Meet the team
Corporate
Enquire now
Enquire
Q&A
Industry Q&A: Project Management with Sarah Skotnicki
Freelance Project Manager
We had the opportunity to speak with Sarah Skotnicki, who at the time was a design student and working as a Freelance
Project Manager
.
She has worked across various aspects of the design industry, gaining valuable experience through internships and paid work in the bustling cities of Melbourne and New York. In this Q&A, she tells us the importance of being a people-person in
Project Management
and how being a Project Manager is not limited to just one industry.
What kind of work have you been doing throughout your current degree?
I started off just doing some freelance work for friends. I did the RMIT Graduate Photography Show branding and catalogues for that. From there, I got an internship in a hand-crafted jewellery company. I was doing some design work for them and I met some other people working in the design studio and started getting work doing some freelance projects.
When I moved to New York, I interned with Milk Studios [a media company encompassing fashion, music, photography and film]. I wasn't running projects there, but more like head of teams for fashion week, and making sure things were running smoothly. I than got a job at a digital agency in New York called Oscuro. They would give me a project to manage and set a deadline to complete it. Sometimes there'd be other interns working on it, and at other points, I just had to get it done for a client.
So, can you run us through the process of what those three days would be like?
Depending on the project, it could be a website or an animation, sometimes it'd be a whole branding concept for a company, the size of the team that I had for the project would change. Normally, I’d get a brief, have 2 or 3 hours where we would all individually come up with concepts, and then we’d meet up and develop an overall concept of what we are going to do. It involves mapping, wire frames and concept sketches.
And the project manager is delegating these tasks?
Yeah, normally a person's concept that has passed will be doing the delegation. There is always a leader for getting a project done, and above them is the person running the whole office, checking in to see if things were completed.
Do you have to be a people-person to be a project manager?
Yeah, you do. If you're good at what you do you'll get far, but the reality is the design industry is all about networking. You wont even get to a point where you can manage a project unless you've got people skills to network, and get yourself a foot in the door of the industry.
You also have to commit to the fact that if you’re an intern, your workday isn’t the standard 9-5. You have to start at the bottom of the ladder to move your way up, and if there’s a project that’s half finished and you pull the intern card and go home, you’re going to burn all of your bridges.
Is it daunting trying to get a job?
It’s totally daunting. You have to put yourself on the line, and write a killer cover letter. No one is going to take someone that’s like everyone else. Figure out what the company does, and figure out why you would be better than anyone else.
What’s stressful about your job?
It’s stressful when you have a deadline and you’re not sure if you’re going to make it. You might be surrounded by people who are freaking out, and as a manager, it’s your job to take a step back, see that there’s a client who’s paying and who has no design skills. We have to give them a project. You have to stay calm about it and get the job done. If it means staying longer to meet a deadline, then that’s what you do.
And what’s the best part?
A happy client!
So, being a project manager isn’t limited to one industry.
A project manager is someone who is able to communicate with a team, and make sure everyone is happy. You won’t get anywhere if the team doesn’t want to be there. Make sure everyone is doing what they’re best at. Another big component involves understanding the needs of the client. In the very early briefing stages, you need to help the client figure out what they want.
For instance, if you’re designing a website, the client probably won’t know if they want a hosted Squarespace, versus a site that has taken hours of coding. As a manager, you need to find an in-between where everyone in the team can contribute to it, and you get a good project out of it.
Want to project manage like Sarah?
Be sure to check out our
Project Management courses
and what career outcomes you can achieve if you do either a certificate or a diploma-level course. If you have the desire to lead a team and can thrive in deadline-driven environment, these courses can help you develop the skills you need to prepare you for the role of Project Manager
or similar job roles
.
View all Q&A
Upskill for the career you love.
Talk to an Education Consultant about which course is best suited for you
Get in touch
1300 009 924
Enquire now
Start your next course with Upskilled. Enter your details in the form below.
Upskilled Course
Student Support
What best describes you:
*
What best describes you?
I'm starting my career
I'm looking to change careers
I'm returning to work
I'm looking for a promotion
I want to expand my skillset
I'm none of the above
First Name:
*
Last Name:
*
Email:
*
Phone:
*
Comments:
Contact Name:
*
Email:
*
Phone:
*
Description:
*By providing your information, you agree to our
Privacy Policy
and to receiving email and other forms of communication from Upskilled. You are able to opt-out at any time.
×
Processing