Author Topic: Project Management Professionals  (Read 3143 times)

G. Thomas

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Project Management Professionals
« on: September 03, 2015, 11:00:47 PM »
The small company I work for will put money towards continuing education. For my role, essentially a project manager, the most fitting and interesting graduate level classes/certifications I found with a reasonable cost are the PMP certification or a graduate certification for Project Management offered by an online university (CSU Global).

PMP seems to be an exam driven certification offering a 6 week program that has online classes 2 times a week. Cost looks to be around $1200.  I meet the prereqs.

CSU Global certification is a 12 credit process.  You can only take 3 credits every 8 weeks at $1,500. Although it is online there are required discussions and papers.  I have applied and been accepted.  I could use these credits towards a future masters program through CSU Global

Both programs have start dates every 30 days or so.  I feel like the pros for PMP are it is a recognized accreditation and inexpensive.  I feel like I would get more from the CSU global cert that is in the same vein as PMP but would not finish with credentials. I'm not sure if I will pursue a full masters but the CSU global route would start to chip at the credits.

PMP: http://www.pmi.org/certification/project-management-professional-pmp.aspx
CSU Global: https://csuglobal.edu/graduate/programs/certificates-completion/project-management

Also I'm not sure what expect from my work in terms of funding. I proposed these options to the owner today and he seems excited to discuss and support.  What is common?  Do you have experience in this field and can provide insight? 


fuzzed

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Re: Project Management Professionals
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2015, 12:36:37 AM »
I am a Canadian PMP since 2010.   The certification does not mean you are a great pm but it is becoming a must have for any PM role.  It is widely recognized world wide with the other one more common in Europe is the Prince2.   The exam itself is not difficult if you know your stuff, it is not something you can memorize your way through.  I put off getting my PMP for years but do not regret it.  Being a PM is one of those niche roles were you can earn a very good income for not a lot of specialized education.   Please  feel free to message me if you want to discuss further.

MetalCap

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Re: Project Management Professionals
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2015, 06:57:44 AM »
Find out the details on funding first(if you fail, do you still get reimbursed etc).

I'd suggest getting the cert first as then the PMP exam will be much easier after.  I took the PMP too lightly as I'm a good test taker and bombed, the PMP is a special kind of animal don't think you'll sail thru even after a class.

On both the certificate and the PMP, it depends on the industry you're in.  I was in commercial construction and no one gave an F about the PMP but when I moved to government construction it was a must have.

Good luck and good job showing initiative to improve to the boss.

Axecleaver

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Re: Project Management Professionals
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2015, 09:56:07 AM »
I'm in public sector consulting, working with state government clients. I got my PMP cert in 2010, and while I had a lot of job opportunities before, they increased by a factor of 10x as soon as I added that to my resume, and I was able to raise my rates accordingly. PMP is specified in many RFP's now, so it's basically a job requirement if you want to be successful in this business. It's an extremely challenging test, although I've been doing Project Management professionally for 20 years, there are portions of the test that are not particularly popular or in active use, and you need to study these very, very carefully.

Be aware that the test is changing on 1/11/2016, so either get your training done now and make sure to take the test ASAP, or wait until after the new test is released. Many classes are closed now because they've filled up in anticipation of this change.

One tip for taking the test, you can bring your cell phone, laptop or study materials to the test with you and leave them in a locker. You're allowed two breaks during the test and it's permissible to consult your materials during this time. You may not bring written answers back and forth, but you can certainly read up on a particular formula or problem and then bring that back to the test in your head. Most folks are not aware of this going into the test, it helps.

The PMP test was by far the hardest test I've taken since I left college. Plan to spend every spare minute of every weekend studying until you pass. Continuing education requirements are substantial and take planning and effort to stay current. You must go through the CE requirements and be recertified every three years. Do not let your cert lapse.

Josiecat

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Re: Project Management Professionals
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2015, 02:33:24 PM »
I'd go for the PMP.  It's a great thing to have on your resume.  A lot of job postings now say PMP required.