Project Management Specialists build judgment and decision making, coordination and time management skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Information Technology Project Managers (96%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Information Technology Project Managers | 96% | $116,580Pay for the broader BLS group “Computer Occupations, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 2 | Administrative Services Managers | 90% | $114,130 | +12% | None |
| 3 | General and Operations Managers | 90% | $105,770 | +3% | None |
| 4 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 89% | $175,140 | +71% | None |
| 5 | Training and Development Managers | 87% | $133,000 | +30% | None |
| 6 | Purchasing Managers | 84% | $148,080 | +45% | None |
| 7 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | 83% | $149,230 | +46% | None |
| 8 | Medical and Health Services Managers | 83% | $123,860 | +21% | None |
| 9 | Financial Managers | 83% | $166,570 | +63% | None |
| 10 | Treasurers and Controllers | 81% | $166,570Pay for the broader BLS group “Financial Managers” | Not compared | None |
Compared with Project Management Specialists, median $102,320. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as project management specialists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
96% skill match · $116,580 (broader BLS group)
Operations Monitoring · Systems Analysis · Time Management
90% skill match · $114,130 · +12% pay
Operations Monitoring · Operations Analysis · Operation and Control
90% skill match · $105,770 · +3% pay
Operation and Control · Operations Monitoring · Operations Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Information Technology Project Managers (96% skill match, median $116,580), Administrative Services Managers (90% skill match, median $114,130) and General and Operations Managers (90% skill match, median $105,770), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 17 pay more than project management specialists at the median. The biggest increases: Computer and Information Systems Managers (+71%, $175,140), Financial Managers (+63%, $166,570) and Marketing Managers (+63%, $166,790).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.