Curriculum Spotlight: Berkeley’s Technology Project Management Boot Camp

Technology project management is an excellent career path for organized, proactive people looking to find their niche in the booming tech field. We caught up with Angel Morgan, Curriculum Engineer for Technology Project Management to learn how career-changers can pivot into project management through Berkeley’s Technology Project Management Boot Camp (offered in collaboration with edX). Angel breaks down what hiring managers are looking for in today’s project managers, and the requisite PM skills that the Berkeley Boot Camp curriculum includes. Plus, learn how new students can make the most of their part-time boot camp experience!

What is your role at Trilogy/2U? 

I’m a Curriculum Engineer, which means that I write curriculum content for delivery by instructors via synchronous (live) Zoom classes. It is my responsibility to ensure that all content reflects project management best practices, and is engaging and teachable. I indirectly support bootcamp students by answering questions that our success managers cannot and by reviewing and implementing curriculum updates based on student and instructor feedback.

Tell us about the project management boot camp offered by the Berkeley Boot Camps! What can students expect to learn in this program?

Students can expect to learn how to lead agile, waterfall, and hybrid software projects from initiation through closure. The bootcamp teaches both business skills, such as leadership and communication, and technical skills, such as managing schedules and budgets. Technologies used include Google docs, sheets and slides, Jira and Confluence, and Wrike. There is no coding in this course, but this course does teach students to create websites using Google sites. Key skills that students will learn include creating project plans, leading agile scrum events, and deciding which methodologies and practices are best for a given project. 

How is the curriculum taught?

In each 3-hour class, there is about one hour of lecture delivered via synchronous Zoom sessions, two 30-minute group activities based on the guided discovery and inquiry-based learning teaching styles, and another hour of facilitated class discussions.  

Who are the instructors for this boot camp?

The instructors for the boot camp are mid-senior level industry-professionals hired by 2U. Instructors and teacher assistants (mostly bootcamp graduates but also junior level practitioners) must both pass a technical interview and a role-play style interview designed to test their teaching methods and ability to connect with students in a simulated synchronous course environment.

Since this is a part-time program, can this boot camp be completed while working full-time?

Yes, this bootcamp can be completed while working full-time. It includes two, 3-hour evening classes and one, 4-hour Saturday class.

Are students able to interact with other students in the boot camp? 

Students interact with others in their cohort through group activities and class discussions in every class. Students keep in touch with one another primarily through Slack, but they also communicate in Zoom breakout rooms and chat. Students often form friendships that span beyond the boot camp and keep in touch after boot camp has ended. 

What kinds of projects do students work on in the project management boot camp?

There are three group projects and a final project:

• The first project requires students to plan and lead a healthcare industry waterfall project. 
• The second project is an agile project. Students work as a scrum team with another customer team to develop a small business website using the agile, scrum methodology. 
• In the third project, students are asked to analyze a "failed'' project and develop a plan to correct it using the software development methodology they think best fits the project sponsor's expectations. Students must create a scope document, budget, schedule, risk plan, and communication plan to present to the project sponsor. 
• The final project is a professional portfolio wherein students create a website highlighting their course and professional project work to link to their resume or LinkedIn profile and present to potential employers.

Who is this program for? Is there an ideal student for the project management bootcamp? 

The curriculum is written to be beneficial to students brand-new to tech project management, as well as, to students who are already in project management but looking to make the shift into technology project management.  

What is the admissions process like for the project management boot camp? 

Students can begin the admissions process by visiting our landing page and filling out the form to request more information about the boot camp. From there, they will be contacted by an admissions advisor for a brief interview. If the program is the right fit for them, they will then fill out a short application and complete a multiple-choice critical thinking and problem-solving quiz containing logic, budgeting, and spreadsheet skills questions. After they have passed the assessment, they are then accepted into the boot camp and able to enroll. If they should fail the assessment, they are able to take the assessment up to two times.

Are there any external resources that students should look to in order to supplement their learning?

It’s helpful for students to read posts from industry professionals on the Project Management Institute, Scrum.org, and Agile Alliance websites.

What types of jobs does the project management boot camp prepare students for? 

This course prepares students for roles as project manager, project scheduler, project coordinator, and scrum master. For students new to project management, it helps them earn more entry-level positions. For students already in the field, this program has been the leverage they need to get promoted from entry to mid-level team leader positions.

What are hiring managers looking for in today’s project managers?

Today’s hiring managers are looking for project managers who have a broad knowledge of managing projects using different methodologies (but predominantly agile), scrum leadership, scheduling, budgeting, risk management, and change management. You don’t need to know programming languages to impress a hiring manager.

Hiring managers are also looking for soft skills. Project managers should be highly organized, and have excellent communication and facilitation skills. PMs should be able to effectively lead meetings (especially virtual meetings), have good problem-solving skills, and be effective with their time management.

Why is now a great time to get into project management? 

With the rapid change to predominantly virtual work over the past year, companies need project managers who can digitally manage project tasks and resources. They are also looking for PMs who can effectively facilitate and foster meaningful collaboration within dispersed project teams and with project stakeholders.

Do you have any tips for students on how to make the most of this boot camp experience? 

My top three tips for students who are just starting out in this boot camp:

1. Maintain a class and study schedule.
2. Adhere to a sleep schedule.
3. Develop a support system to help you balance your professional, personal and bootcamp responsibilities.

Find out more and read Berkeley Boot Camps reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with Berkeley Boot Camps.