CS
How To Turn Twelve Months Into Twelve Years
To me life is about lifelong learning and continuous improvement. I don’t want to do something a certain way because that’s the way it’s always been done. I want to find a better way. I’m the person that’s always asking “why” or “how”. When I see something new, I want to know what it is for, how to use it and then I want to open it up to see how it works and how I can make it better. As I near the end of my Masters program, I know that I’m not finished learning and I have many more “how”s and “why”s to answer, especially with my career path in Facilities Management. What makes Facilities Management perfect for me and so intriguing, is there are many divisions of responsibility from which to choose. For my future career growth, I would like to learn more about my current role as Facilities Manager, as well as Project Management and Financial Management.
Right now, my experience is with facilities site management and I would like to find out as much as I can about that role before I pursue others. I’ve been in this role for about four years, and in that time have had the chance to grow. In one year alone, I managed seven office relocations across four states, one renovation, two acquisitions and one divest (that covered seven offices across five states just on it’s own!). That year was tremendously stressful, however, I wouldn’t give it back for anything. In those twelve months, I had the chance to learn more about facilities, properties, real estate, asset management and purchasing processes than anyone on my team. Since I had only been on the job one year at that point compared to their decades, I felt pretty good! I was thrown in to those activities and it was a sink or swim workstyle. But that year made me a better facility manager because I had the chance to see a dozen different examples that I could study and analyze and learn from. It also gave me a constant chance to practice because if I could have done something better with one move, I had a chance to make it better with the next one a month later. I firmly believe that the reason I have the amazing job I have now is because I gained five years worth of experience in that one year of projects. I also know that there is still more for me to learn. Thankfully, my company, Bloomberg LP, provides opportunities for employees to learn both inside our company with classes available on a multitude of topics (my area of interest included) as well as outside of work, in any classroom we wish. Continuous learning is one of the backbones of their beliefs. In addition, I am working again with my favorite and most influential manager who is mentoring me for career progression.
Because of my year of experience with those projects, I’ve grown to love project management. I am currently working on three facility projects across Canada and the Midwest. Because of this project work, I am at my most stressed, but more importantly I am extremely excited and I’m in my groove! I love the the problem solving, the innovation and the collaboration. Once I have had a few years in my current role, I would like to pursue roles in project management. Over the next few years I will be working closely with the project management and design teams and this will give me the opportunity to learn. However, I have also found that a structured course will still be necessary. I was introduce to the Project Management Institute (PMI) but a colleague and after reviewing their site, I see what a wealth of information and experience this organization can provide for my future learning! They offer not only PMP (Project Management Professional) certifications, but online courses as well.
Another aspect of my job that came about during my twelve months of projects, was financial management. The acquisitions and divests allowed me to work closely with many accounting and financial departments and colleagues and it got me excited. I found that I was really good at budgeting, analyzing and finding cost savings! My manager has requested that I join IFMA, the International Facilities Management Association. This organization provides opportunities for learning, certifications, networking and resource but especially real estate financial management. My manager was certified in one of their programs and found it invaluable. It will also allow me to further explore all facility management roles on a professional level. In addition, CoreNet Global offers learning opportunities on financial management.
One of the best parts of my graduate program at Michigan State University, and especially my focus in Technology and Leadership, is that it introduced me to many other tools that will help me pursue my career and dreams. I may not use my Education courses the way they were intended, but I’ve found them to be invaluable for my own adult educational experience.