IT to PMO

I work in higher education and am (by title) the Director of Technical Services.  A few years ago, our Director of IT Project Management left and we had a hard time finding someone to replace him, most applicants were private sector guys expecting well into the 6 digit salary.  My VP one day asked if I had ever thought about moving into the PM realm and I gave it a shot.  Things have run pretty smoothly and I have adapted well.  I would say Higher Education sector is a lot different than others.  I find my technical knowledge greatly assists me in developing project plans, resource allocations etc as I have a great understanding of the technicalities of project requirements and can truly gauge the IT resources needed accurately.  

I work in higher education and am (by title) the Director of Technical Services.  A few years ago, our Director of IT Project Management left and we had a hard time finding someone to replace him, most applicants were private sector guys expecting well into the 6 digit salary.  My VP one day asked if I had ever thought about moving into the PM realm and I gave it a shot.  Things have run pretty smoothly and I have adapted well.  I would say Higher Education sector is a lot different than others.  I find my technical knowledge greatly assists me in developing project plans, resource allocations etc as I have a great understanding of the technicalities of project requirements and can truly gauge the IT resources needed accurately.  

I think the transition was a little hard for me due to the complexity of the company dynamics and not having PM training to the degree they are looking for.   As an IT Director you wear hats, and are a decision maker, in the PMO world, you are managing those making decisions, forming the plan to keep everyone on track and holding them accountable.   You call out issues but are not able to correct them.   I like to Fix problems, not just call them out.   Hard to seperate.