PathSource - DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS - SOFTWARE: The Many Opportunities That Come With Working For Small Businesses

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DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS - SOFTWARE: The Many Opportunities That Come With Working For Small Businesses

About this video

Louie is the Director of Special Projects for a software company. He spends his typical day in meetings developing strategy, as well as speaking with clients, suppliers, and partners to sell his business. Hi also works for the foundation at his company that invests in and trains software startups in Africa. He began his career on a nonprofit and social work route and continues this work today through the foundation. In this video, Louie discusses the differences between working for large and small companies, and the benefits and learning opportunities that come with working for small businesses.

Degree: Mechanical Engineering

Job Title: Director of Special Projects

Job Summary: Top Executives

Job Description

Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and public or private-sector organizations.

The responsibilities of top executives largely depend on an organization’s size. For example, an owner or manager of a small organization, such as an independent retail store, often is responsible for purchasing, hiring, training, quality control, and day-to-day supervisory duties. In large organizations, on the other hand, top executives typically focus more on formulating policies and strategic planning, while general and operations managers direct day-to-day operations.

Companies may also have chief officers who lead various departments or focus on specific areas of work. Here are some examples:

Chief financial officers are accountable for the accuracy of a company’s or organization’s financial reporting, especially among publicly traded companies. They direct the organization’s financial goals, objectives, and budgets. For example, they may oversee the investment of funds and manage associated risks.

Chief information officers are responsible for the overall technological direction of an organization, which includes managing the information technology and computer systems. They organize and supervise information-technology-related workers, projects, and policies.

Chief operating officers oversee other executives who direct the activities of various departments, such as human resources and sales. They also carry out the organization’s guidelines on a day-to-day basis.

Chief sustainability officers address sustainability issues by enacting or overseeing a corporate sustainability strategy. For instance, they may manage programs and policies relating to environmental issues and ensure that the organization complies with environmental or other government regulations.

On-the-Job Training

None

Additional Info

Top executives may complete a certification program through the Institute of Certified Professional Managers to earn the Certified Manager (CM) credential. To become a CM, candidates must meet education and experience requirements and pass three exams. Although not mandatory, certification can show management competency and potential leadership skills. Certification also can help those seeking advancement or can give jobseekers a competitive edge.

Quick Facts

Average salary

National Statistic Change Location

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$95,000 - $200,000

Projected Job Growth

5 to 10 percent

Typical schedule

Full-time, Long hours

Typical workplace

Indoor, Office

Personal Qualities

Leadership ability, Organizational skills, Problem solving skills, Verbal communication skills, Written communication skills, Analytical skills, People skills, Teamwork, Detail oriented, Mathematical skills, Networking, Public speaking ability

Educational Path

Education Requirement

Bachelor's degree

Recommended Education Degree

Bachelor's degree
Master's degree

Recommended Majors

Business Administration and Management
Business
Business and Management
Finance
Economics

Related Careers

Administrative Services Managers
Advertising
Promotions
and Marketing Managers
Architectural and Engineering Managers
Computer and Information Systems Managers
Construction Managers
Financial Managers
Human Resources Managers
Industrial Production Managers
Medical and Health Services Managers
Sales Managers.

View Detailed Career Data

PathSource provides free English transcriptions for each of our informational interviews on video which will appear here after you have signed in. Our advanced transcriptions are highly interactive. They scroll down automatically as the video plays and users can jump to a specific part of the video by clicking on any word in the transcript.

For a small fee, we offer transcriptions in different languages, making PathSource a great tool for English Language Learners. This feature is currently available for customers in the education field only.

Please contact us at support@pathsoruce.com if you have any questions or would like to get a price quote for advanced transcripts offered in a second language.

P3.instances[0].transcript.parse_transcript_data({"transcript":"So tell me about your job. Well my name is Louie, and I'm the Director of Special Projects for a large software company. If I had to describe my day-to-day, it obviously varies quite a bit. But it usually involves quite a bit of reflection. So part of my job is to try and set strategy for the different teams that I'm responsible for. Obviously try and communicate those strategies, so yes, it involves a lot of PowerPoint building. And then a lot of meetings, a lot of internal meetings with the teams that I'm leading, and try to communicate the strategy, and assess progress, and solve problems. A lot of meetings with other teams that collaborate with my teams. And then a lot of meetings with external partners. So a lot of business is conducted with clients, suppliers, partners, and so a lot of my job is interacting with those guys. So a lot of thinking, a lot of communication, a lot of selling ideas, selling your business. And so its pretty interesting. If I had to compare it with something that everyone knows, is probably like playing a game of Risk from 9:00 to 5:00. But playing in teams, and with a little bit more complexity than what a couple of dice and board can do. But it's actually a lot of fun. What I also get to do, which is really close to my heart-- because I started my career in non-profit as-- the software company I work for has a foundation, and I'm very involved on that, as well. And so our foundation invests in, and trains, software start-up entrepreneurs in Africa. And so I get to go to Africa four to six times a year and help these guys out. So everything I learn on, kind of, my corporate day-to-day job, I get to Africa to help some people who don't have that same level of exposure. So that's a lot of fun. And how did I get there? Well I completed high school. And to be completely honest I was a bit of a nerd in high school. I mean I did a little bit of sports, but I certainly enjoyed my classes, and OK in them. And then went to college and I did mechanical engineering, and actually didn't like mechanical engineering, at all. I did it, I think it's mostly because that's what I knew. That's what my dad did, and I just felt like Id' learn practical stuff. And that felt like a good thing, but at the end of the day, I just felt like solving technical problems was less what I was interested in. I was really interested in kind of social issues, and social problems. And so I joined the group that was called Engineers Without Borders. And through that group I got to travel quite a bit. So I spent a lot of time in the Philippines. And I was doing some social work with them, trying to train street kids computers, and things like that. And then really enjoyed that. And when I graduated I went to Africa with the same group. And I was kind of one of their first employees, and so I helped set up their program there. And so I spent about five years working and living in rural West Africa. That was a lot of fun. But then realized that, after doing that for a while, I needed to start making a bit of a living. And I was missing my friends and family at home. So I actually did an MBA in the UK. And what was pretty cool is, because my social work, I actually got a full ride. So that was really neat. And then, moved now to San Fransisco, where I found this job through the MBA. And really loving it, to be honest. And now I have a wife that I met in my MBA class, and a kid. And things are really, really fun. And if you ask me why I wish I'd known when I was kind of in high school and colleges, I feel like, when you're in the school environment, I mean, you don't have that much industry experience, and so depending on what sector you're in, you typically fall into, kind of, the traditional career paths of big, big companies. Right? Let's say if you're a software entrepreneur like Google and Facebook, is kind of yours is. My days it was Microsoft, but today it's obviously a little bit different. Or if you're in mechanical engineering, then it was like all the big car companies is kind of what you're interested in. And to be honest, I mean, those are probably great jobs, but I never really enjoyed working for a big company, because I feel like there's a lot of structure there. And if you're a little bit more entrepreneurial, or you're pretty driven and you like to make things happen, there's a lots of barriers. And so most of my career has been spent in very small organizations. In fact, I was often in the first few employees. And that's a lot of fun. I mean, for sure, you need to choose the right organization, and you have to get along with people, no doubt. Like, you really have to choose the right organization. But what's great with you working with those small organizations is you get to do everything. It's amazing. You get like crazy responsibilities when you're like 19, 21, 25. Like just stuff that, if you were in a big company, it would take you so long to get to do. And you get to, like, hire people when you're young. And you get to create strategy. And I remember when I joined Engineers Without Borders it was so young. Like, we had a meeting, there was eight of us around the table. And we drafted the Constitution of the organization. That's crazy. What do I know? So you get to learn amazing, and of course, you're not going to be paid as much, as if you worked for these big companies. But the learning you get to do is just priceless. And the ROI, or the return on investment, for that kind of potentially lower salary to start with, if you actually are really driven, if you actually make the most of the investment, is really high. So I would recommend a good, small, dynamic team that you get along with, and you can really kind of push with, is a really good deal. So that's what I'd propose. Good luck to you. ","file":{"id":195476,"video_id":null,"name":"59769855","duration":404167,"thumbnail_url":null}});