By Portia Yip, Marketing Services

When we hear stories of successful individuals with multiple interests or careers, we may often wonder about their journey and what it involved.

For Amber McMillan, her body of knowledge spans over 30 years and has led to where she is today—an innovator and earnest leader specializing in project, change and people management.

"I started out actually, and people love to know this, as a pastry chef," she says. "I found myself working in the food and hospitality industry, and this was long before I really understood the career path that I would have today."

After her stint as a chef, Amber got involved with the not-for-profit and social services sector. From there, she gained event management experience and how to work and understand people on a deeper level. This led her down the path of self-improvement, leadership, neuro-linguistic programming and professional coaching.

"I found brain science fascinating, and that servant leadership is a great model to motivate individuals to do great work so that's the direction I took—I switched careers and set my sights on project management."

What is project management?

Amber describes the field as taking specific processes and applying them to what you want to accomplish.

It doesn't always have to be a multibillion-dollar airport that we're building, she says. "We define a project very simply as anything that is going to create a new version of a product, service or result."

Project management as a profession is not limited to one industry. With Amber’s wide range of professional experience, she has used her project management skills in all areas throughout her career.

"You don't have to be a project manager and get a certification but understanding how you can manage a project better actually speeds up your work," Amber explains. "And that, of course, is a benefit to any industry."

Project management in the workplace

As an instructor, Amber has seen students from a background in finance and social services, to engineering and biomedical sciences, take her courses and benefit from the learning material. A focus in the course is for students to experience and emulate what it feels like to work on a project in a professional environment.

The job market continues to be a competitive space but what are employers looking for when it comes to project management skills? Amber shares how employers who know about the field may want to see a certification to help pre-qualify candidates. Entry-level certifications like the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is one example to show employers that someone understands and has training in project management.

"If you understand the lexicon of project management and speak about it in an interview, this can quickly impress upon an employer that you have some knowledge in the area."

The Project Management (TECH110) course was designed to meet the training requirements to write the CAPM certification exam, which requires 23 hours of project management education.

"For students taking this course, they have the ability to submit these hours if they want to, but this isn’t a prep course," describes Amber. "I tell students in my class, if you're not having fun, you're missing the point—this is a low stress environment where we can feel empowered by what we’re learning in a safe place."

Amber shares a story where one of her students started applying the techniques they were learning at their job after the fourth week of taking the project management course. A few weeks later, the student got a promotion. "Their employer didn't know anything about project management, but what their employer saw was that they were getting their work done better after integrating the learning on the fly."

Career growth and high-demand job opportunities

Project management is one of the most in-demand fields and is often listed as a top certification or education stream to take for a high-paying job. "The reason is because project management transcends industry and that means we can be chameleons," Amber says. "We can move between industries and what we bring when we get there is this ability to manage time, cost and scope."

The Project Management Institute (PMI) describes project management as defining project scope, identifying deliverables, managing risks and having effective communication across teams. All of these are aspects we tend to do on a daily or regular basis and Amber emphasizes how taking a course at the fundamental level can be empowering to understand ourselves and how we manage our work.

"I really believe all of us are project managers on some level," says Amber. "My advice for anyone is to do enough due diligence to understand what project management is, because you are already a part of it."

Embracing the future of AI and technology 

From Amber’s perspective, some of the key things to know about project management are: humans are project managers; management is about people; managers understand how to embrace risk; management is a full-body experience; and project managers are aware of their unique skills.

When diving deeper into the risk aspect, Amber shares how part of a project manager’s role involves identifying and managing risks. She highlights how being risk-adverse, or not fearing risks, is both a skill and asset. "Risk increases our ability to be agile and resilient in times of change."

Today, project managers are becoming more confident and familiar with integrating AI into their work processes (e.g., popular tools or software include ChatGPT, Trello, Asana, Monday, Notion, etc.) In Amber’s classes, she encourages students to leverage AI, make use of the tools available to them, and to not be afraid of the new technology.

"Other industries may be more afraid of the advancement of technology, but project managers are not," says Amber. "In general, project management is about learning ways to leverage yourself and work better, and I don't think there's anyone I've met that couldn't benefit from that.”

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A diversely skilled professional, Amber McMillan specializes in all aspects of leadership, communication and stakeholder management. She has a unique aptitude for leading complex conversations and works hard to create and sustain productive dialog through team-building exercises, positive motivation and her own contagious enthusiasm.

With tangible credentials and over 25 years of experience in both profit and not-for-profit environments, Amber is committed to learning and growing while continuing to practice her profession. She excels as an empathetic visionary, establishing creative ways forward in complicated multiple collaborator communities. Often referred to as an 'agent of change', with wide-ranging communication and service experience, her passion continues to drive innovation in her work. Amber is eager to share both her successes and failures in benefit to others, reflected in her favourite quote: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."  – Maya Angelou

Those who work alongside Amber appreciate her honesty, transparency, unique insight and tangible advice for immediate use. She currently serves as the chief visionary officer for Rogers Society, a board chair of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration, and the executive educator for the University of Winnipeg, University of Saskatchewan and University of Victoria.

• Posted September 17, 2024