Developing a software product involves much more work than just shutting a bunch of developers in a room until they finish the code. A project needs to meet its deadlines, stay within the budget, and overcome any obstacles. That is why many development teams have a software development project manager on hand to make sure that the project goes smoothly.
The software development project manager is in charge of the logistical aspects of managing a project, while the rest of the development team focuses on building the piece of software. They plan the project in detail and communicate with different stakeholders. Software development project managers also use their people skills to encourage the team to meet their goals.
Software development project managers need to have some knowledge of software development, which is why many have at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. They also need to have management experience, whether that comes from work or an official project management certification.
How to Become a Software Development Project Manager
What is a Software Development Project Manager
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Software Development Project Manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $41.06 an hour? That's $85,413 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 21% and produce 284,100 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Software Development Project Manager Do
There are certain skills that many Software Development Project Managers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Creativity, Detail oriented and Interpersonal skills.
How To Become a Software Development Project Manager
If you're interested in becoming a Software Development Project Manager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 69.2% of Software Development Project Managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 19.4% of Software Development Project Managers have master's degrees. Even though most Software Development Project Managers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Software Development Project Manager. When we researched the most common majors for a Software Development Project Manager, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Software Development Project Manager resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Software Development Project Manager. In fact, many Software Development Project Manager jobs require experience in a role such as Project Manager. Meanwhile, many Software Development Project Managers also have previous career experience in roles such as Software Developer or Senior Software Engineer.
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Software Development Project Manager Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of Project Manager you might progress to a role such as Program Manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title Lead Program Manager.
Software Development Project Manager Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Software Development Project Manager
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Software Development Project Manager Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Software Development Project Manager Jobs - $131K and Up
- Entry Level Software Development Project Manager Jobs
- Part Time Software Development Project Manager Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Software Development Project Manager Jobs
Create The Perfect Resume
Our resume builder tool will walk you through the process of creating a stand-out Software Development Project Manager resume.
Check Jobs That Match To Your Education
Top Colleges for Software Development Project Managers
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
6. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
7. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
Find the best Software Development Project Manager job for you
Software Development Project Manager Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Software Development Project Manager Jobs - $131K and Up
- Entry Level Software Development Project Manager Jobs
- Part Time Software Development Project Manager Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Software Development Project Manager Jobs
Online Courses For Software Development Project Manager That You May Like
Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...
Review and master agile development & scrum methodologies for your career...
This Agile Project Management Bootcamp course will allow you to learn the Agile Way! Agile Project Management (Scrum)...
Top Skills For a Software Development Project Manager
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 32.9% of Software Development Project Managers listed Project Management on their resume, but soft skills such as Creativity and Detail oriented are important as well.
- Project Management, 32.9%
- Software Development, 9.1%
- Scrum, 7.0%
- Web Services, 4.2%
- Jira, 3.9%
- Other Skills, 42.9% See All Software Development Project Manager Skills
12 Software Development Project Manager RESUME EXAMPLES
Build a professional software development project manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your software development project manager resume.
Best States For a Software Development Project Manager
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Software Development Project Manager. The best states for people in this position are North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey. Software Development Project Managers make the most in North Carolina with an average salary of $116,374. Whereas in Virginia and Delaware, they would average $111,323 and $111,052, respectively. While Software Development Project Managers would only make an average of $110,924 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Texas
$105,087
Avg. Salary
2. Washington
$107,445
Avg. Salary
3. Virginia
$111,323
Avg. Salary
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