27 Apr Meet Sam, Senior Project Manager
In our latest Day in the Life profile, we’d like to introduce you to Sam, a Senior Project Manager supporting one of Criterion’s Department of Energy programs.
Please describe your job: What do you do?
I am a Senior Project Manager supporting a Department of Energy emergency communications network. This network provides dedicated communications capabilities in support of the global emergency management and response mission of the DOE and its government partners.
What are 5 things you do almost every day?
- Meetings, meetings, and more meetings.
- Planning of upcoming tasks and deliverables.
- Reviewing emails and responding to them as appropriate.
- Taking a break to clear my mind.
- Cooking dinner (I love family time).
Do you have a morning ritual? Something you do to start your day?
Stretching and breathing exercises and a good cup of coffee.
What kind of skills do you need to be effective in your role?
Effective communication skills, leadership skills, organizational skills, and the ability to see the big picture.
What do you like best about your job?
The high-level importance of the emergency network. Providing continuous, effective, and secure network services (data, video, and voice) can make a real difference in emergency situations. I also work with a great team. Everyone is very knowledgeable, kind, and always willing help.
What advice would you give to someone looking to become a Project Manager?
If you gravitate towards having responsibility and like to see things through from beginning to end, then you’ll love being a Project Manager. Shoot for the stars.
What is the craziest/oddest job you have ever had? Something that might surprise your peers?
I cannot think of a crazy job but here is a crazy moment from when I was young: I had a newspaper route when I was 13 years old. The Sunday paper delivery was the toughest as it included all the advertisements, making them very heavy. My dad saw how many newspapers I was trying to cram into my bag and on to my bike and he offered to drive me around that morning to help. We came up with a good system, where all of the newspapers were loaded in the back of our station wagon. I then sat in the back and jumped out to deliver to all my customers. A few minutes into the morning, my dad asked if I wanted to drive since I knew which of houses to stop at, and he would sit in the back and deliver the papers. At first, I wasn’t sure if he was being serious, but then said, “Sure, I would love to drive.” He instructed me to take things slow and we delivered all the papers that day in no time.