To be Or Not to be

After having spent 13.5 years of experience in the IT field, I thought I have gone through the thick and thin of project management. But, So, did several others. Well then I should say I am still and I would continue to do the same, for several more years to come. Of course, I may get strangled with additional responsibilities that means additional hours of my association at work (physically being or otherwise) and it also mean additional layers fat around my waist. Going by the good old saying that it indicates level prosperity and should I be satiated with. That is on the lighter vein. But, on the serious note, what next for me. I did not mean what the company holds for me what I hold towards the company to prove an edge over others, leave side the extra fat that is bulging around my waistline covering the six packs beneath.
Some one said, you need to get certified to make a mark. Easy said than done. Alright, I became a PMP certified. Some one else said, 'hey, you are forgetting your techincal capabilities'...Ok, I got certified on some of the technologies. Boss, how about on the functional side? I meekly nodded the head and went ahead and completed a couple.
I am not trying to question the reasoning or validity of the ask to improve competencies.
But, if I were to tread the path of my career again, I would suggest the below.
In my experience, what I generally is, we tend to maintain a Iron curtain between the activities of the Senior Managers and Middle Management and similarly between the Middle Management and Junior folks. I am not advocating that we make everything visible to everyone which would be nonsensical and detrimental. What I am trying to say is we need to work on virtualization of upstream activities to the team to understand how the activities that they indulge in has implications on what goes upstream. Of course, every organization has training programs to provide a peek into that but I did not find them effective as it goes like another drawling, monotonous training program as they won’t be able to correlate them in true sense. For example, we don’t need to make the resource to wait to become Project Manager or such position, to give a practical view of what typically goes into billing process (with some non-disclosures of course).
I liken this to a summer camp for children, where they are encouraged to have a feel of several things, not with an attempt to make them expert immediately or to take that as profession.
When it comes to project team, what it means would be providing an insight into what typically goes up and down the value chain with his role being marked somewhere on this line. This not just helps set up a common platform for the individuals to be better prepare for higher roles but also be able to volunteer to take up higher responsibilities with pleasure as he now has better view of the horizon and connectivity is conspicuous