Hi This is about my dad..he is a civil Engineer and was project manager and had his own consultant. moved here to US 4 years ago and did not get any luck with finding a job..he attempt 2 time to do PMP exam and got 3 categories above target and one target and the execution was need improvement so he fail.I always come to blind when i have question and he is seeking my advice on how he can start new career (Data Science, Product Owner,Machine Learning,or anything ..)he was interested in software field after studying the PMP..i ask him to stop the exam because every time he is failing its effecting him really bad so i ask him to hold on it and I will check with you guys..he english very similar to mine and he is like me working everyday to improve it (so my apologies for any grammatical mistake am still learning) ..he is passionate to learn and he did study after school two field ( Business and Civil Engineer) What do you advice him to start ? Is it possible to enter a career at this age? Currently he is 57 Thank you in advance!
Right
Project management for civil engineering is usually very 'waterfall' like. Software project management is usually very 'agile' like. Don't assume that project management has the same frameworks across engineering disciplines. The planning horizons and the values of these project management styles are completely different.
Skill set is completely portable though. There’s just the hurdle of getting your head around clearcut deliverable dates and dependencies. Someone with the level of passion and excitement that OP’s dad has should do fine.
It's a tough one OP. I've seen people around this age with very strong technical career and reputations don't get much of an opportunities to try a slightly new line of career. An immigrant would have a very hard time at this age to dramatically change the line of career. If he really needs to make money, perhaps he can seek for work in places like midwest for a few years to build up resume.
If he can get his English skills to the level of a grade 12 student he could apply to the Big 4 as a consultant.
He should stay in Civil and apply at city jobs. A lot of Civil jobs require a minimum of a masters degree
My dad did something like this. He got odd jobs while studying for certs like MCSE and CCNA and went on to be a tech consultant. He was a metallurgical engineer prior to moving here. He basically just gave that field up. He has a pretty good setup now where he consults remotely while chilling at home. 57 is kinda late though. You'd be dealing with serious age discrimination.
Has he thought about starting his own business? Wish him the best!
Unlikely. Project management requires good communication skills and a good grasp of English. Might be better to do the PE exam and try for civil engineering, though I don't know how portable that is across countries.