The mid-careerists

There has been a lot of talk about the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting, but what do mid-life project professionals want from their careers? To step up or to step back? Alexander Garrett finds out.

There are many ways you could view a career: as a ladder, a journey, a narrative or story, an evolution – or even a project. Whatever the case, it’s fair to say that the mid‑point is a time to pause, reflect and consider what happens next. To paraphrase Churchill, see this as the end of the beginning, rather than the beginning of the end. The mid‑point of your career isn’t clearly signposted like the start and end points; some may even pass through without noticing it. But what should you expect when you are approaching that significant landmark? And what are the pitfalls to look out for?

For most people, the early stage of a career is a time to establish yourself. Estelle Detrembleur, Associate Director of Project Controls at construction and consultancy firm Mace, says: “It is all about understanding what is out there, what you are interested in, building a support network, and then you just go for it.” In her case, that meant roles on a series of high‑profile infrastructure projects. “Now I’ve got all those skills, those competencies, all that knowledge, and I want to move to the next level.”

Rob Crofts is Regional Operations and Project Performance Manager at underwater construction company Subsea 7, based in Stavanger, Norway. He didn’t set out to work in project management. He started as a workshop technician with a company making diving equipment in Scotland, was introduced to underwater robotics, and then spent years in different roles off the coast of West Africa, eventually running projects. Now he has a project management office‑type role that looks across the company. “I’m overseeing how we do projects, how project managers work together, the processes and tools we use,” says Crofts.

The impact of the pandemic

One positive of being in mid‑career is having accrued experience and knowledge, which gives you credibility and respect from your peers. But while those aspects play to your advantage, other challenges come to the fore.

Crofts says the biggest one for him at this stage of his career is having a family to think of. During the pandemic, he says, “like many businesses in UK we had a downsizing, and I had to go find different work”. The role that came up necessitated moving from Aberdeen to Stavanger, and has fortunately worked out well. “In the past, when I was a single guy I could work anywhere across the globe, but now I have to think of the family as a whole.”

Egypt‑born Miriam Messiha spent much of her early career working for the UN in the Middle East and has just started a new role managing European grant‑funded projects at Aston University. For her, work‑life balance is a key challenge at this stage of her career. “It can be quite draining to always be thinking about future plans, challenges and the way to overcome those challenges,” she explains, “and also to give some time to my family – because they are just as important as my work.” Work‑life balance is difficult at all career stages, she says, but at the mid‑point you have extra responsibilities and possibly a family. “The big difference is that you know how to manage your time properly and you value the time – I appreciate every minute of every day.”

Matt Mousley, Engineering Programme Manager at Rolls‑Royce Small Modular Reactors, says it’s not just about time, but also the intensity with which you work. “There’s a lot of expectation at this level, and there’s always the feeling that I could do more hours or get more done. But there’s only so much you can do before burning yourself out and then being off for a long time.” Delegating and sharing the knowledge you have are two key coping strategies, he says.

One plus‑point of the pandemic, he believes, is that a much greater attention is now paid to wellbeing in the workplace, and it has become far more acceptable to work flexibly. In his new job with Rolls‑Royce, being able to cycle to and from work every day has been a key factor in enhancing that sense of wellbeing.

Take the strategic view

Mid‑career is a good time to take a more strategic view and evaluate what you want from the second chapter of your working life. “I think the next stage in my career will be about having a clear vision and I will be more goal‑oriented to achieve concrete results,” says Messiha. “In the earlier stage, I think the vision was a bit blurred – I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, or how to do it. I was focusing on the task and not focusing on the whole goal.”

Detrembleur says: “I feel I haven’t fulfilled my dreams as yet.” For her, that includes applying for Fellowship and obtaining chartered status with APM. She adds: “I would like to lead a bit more.” She says she has been particularly inspired by working with former Crossrail Programme Director and Thames Tideway CEO Andy Mitchell and HS2 CEO Mark Thurston. “My ultimate dream would be to lead a major infrastructure project, like one of them.”

For Mousley, the immediate priority is to consolidate what he’s achieved already. “It did take me a few years to find what I was naturally best at, but I feel I’ve probably done that now. I’m working at programme level and that suits me because you are working in that middle ground between the people that are making the big decisions and those working on the day‑to‑day. When you need to get involved and deal with a crisis you have the ability to do that – I’ve got the experience to back that up. But also being able to influence strategy and direction and modify the approach and things like that is really important.” He found out during the first half of his career that working with people and solving their problems is what gives him most satisfaction. “Do I want to progress further? At the moment I don’t know, but I think it’s always nice to have that as an option.” Mousley has also identified chartered status and Fellowship as career objectives – not just with APM, but also with other professional bodies that intersect with his work, such as the Nuclear Institute. It gives you credibility among your peers, he says, “and it’s recognised industry‑wide that being chartered indicates a certain level of attainment”.

Shifting roles and sectors

Project management is acknowledged as a good position from which to move into senior management roles. “The project management role gives you exposure to many parts of the business,” says Rob Crofts. At the same time, he’s aware of other career paths: perhaps becoming a consultant or specialising in a more niche area such as digitalisation or supply chain.

Project management also lends itself to making a lateral move to a different sector. None of our interviewees expressed a particular ambition to do that, although most seem receptive if the right opportunity comes along. More important, it seems, is that the work continues to be interesting and challenging.

When it comes to managing your career, one thing is clear: in mid‑career there is less handholding and a general awareness that it’s down to you as an individual to be more proactive: to decide what you want and forge your own direction. Employers are generally supportive in helping people realise their ambitions, but it’s down to you to ask in the first place. As Detrembleur puts it: “Sometimes when you move into a business or an organisation, they have something in mind for you. And over time, you find that you don’t necessarily align with that. Some people just go with the flow. But I think it’s important not to forget your dream.”

Those embarking on their careers, perhaps post‑university, might expect that by the time they reach their 40s, further studying would be a thing of the past. But that seems to be far from the case. There is a powerful awareness that learning and development are absolutely vital if you want to stay relevant and on top of your game, and perhaps even to stave off competition from younger peers. Messiha, who most recently studied for a master’s in business administration and management at ESLSCA Business School in Paris, says she picked up this lesson from her father, a doctor in Egypt who carried on learning throughout his career. “He told me that if you want to continue to grow, science has no end, education has no end. You have to keep yourself abreast of every new practice or theory.”

Mousley, who completed an MSc degree at the University of Manchester five years ago, echoes this, pointing out that learning at every level is important. “I’m quite passionate about learning. I would even say that if you did the same course again, with a different group of people, you would learn a whole lot of different things from it.”

Time to give back

Finally, if there’s one topic that seems to unite project professionals as they reach the middle of their career, it’s the desire to give something back. For Detrembleur, that comes in the form of volunteering with various groups – Women in Projects, Friends of Nuclear Energy, APM, where she is Chair of one specific interest group and involved in others – as well as mentoring, speaking and other activities. “The next generation is very close to my heart,” she says. “I feel we can really support them. I love working with young professionals because they give me that energy, and they have a way of thinking that is completely different.” She also considers it important to give back to the profession.

Messiha has also set her sights on mentoring. “My goal is to help others to break the fear inside themselves, to find hope and to motivate them, even if they feel that it’s too late to learn anything or to get into a job.” Mousley says: “I’ve realised through my career that you get joy from helping others to achieve their ambitions.”

Mid‑career, in other words, shouldn’t be a time to dread, but instead to take stock, figure out what you’d like to do next, manage your life in a better way – and offer something back to the next generation.

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE SPRING 2023 ISSUE OF PROJECT JOURNAL, WHICH IS FREE FOR APM MEMBERS.