This feature first appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of Certification Magazine. Click here to get your own print or digital copy.

Women are conspicuous by their absence just about anywhere that you look in IT, but it would seem that the problem isn't nearly as pronounced in project management circles as elsewhere. A shade more than 77 percent of those who responded to our survey are men.

Among other characteristics, project management certification carries a strong likelihood of being rooted in higher education. There aren't many doctorates in the field (9.2 percent of those surveyed), but master's degrees (53.9 percent) are plentiful, and we also found a fair number of bachelor's degrees (22.8 percent) and two-year college degrees (8.7 percent).

Generally speaking, certified project managers are either employed full time (90.6 percent) or stuck on the sidelines. With 8.2 percent of those surveyed currently out of work, project management carries with it a greater risk of unemployment than any other field we've surveyed to date.

If you have a project management job, on the other hand, then there's a decent chance that you won't have a standard work week. Nearly 55 percent of those who responded to our survey clock in either somewhere between 41 and 50 hours per week (36 percent), or somewhere in excess of 50 hours per week (18.8 percent).

And even though age is just a number, that number skews high among certified project managers. A bit more than 60 percent of those surveyed are 45 or older, with the largest group residing between the ages of 45 and 54 (40.4 percent). An additional 20 percent are between the ages of 55 and 64, while the "youth movement" in project management mostly comprises those between the ages of 35 and 44 (32.7 percent).

In keeping with recent tradition, we asked some only semi-serious questions at the end of the survey. Among other things, we learned that there's considerable disagreement about the importance of smart watch ownership — 30.8 percent of respondents, for example, wouldn't take one if it was free. Keep an eye on CertMag.com to find out where the rest of the field falls, and glean additional insights on other survey topics both wacky and weighty.

TABLE TALK : What industries have the highest concentration of project managers? And what jobs do project managers hold?