Project Management Training and Certification – Is It Still Worth It?

Project Management Certifications are Hard to Get

Worthwhile project management training takes time, effort, and money to get and can add real value to your career.  They are not like the quick, easy, and inexpensive Agile CSM, Comptia Fundamentals, or Microsoft certifications.  The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) is THE major certification in the PM field and requires thousands of hours of experience and dozens of hours of study and class.  The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification requires no experience (if you have a 4-year degree) and covers the same material, mostly at a syntax level.

This post discusses Project Management Certifications, CAPM, and PMP and how you can research if one would be valuable for you.

You Can Research if Project Management Training and Certifications Are Right For You

While some people get their PMP or CAPM just for the knowledge or their personal satisfaction, the vast majority do it for career advancement.  To convince yourself, perform a filtered search for the job opening that you would want.  Make sure you notice which certifications are required or even preferred.  Both statements will likely end up in their filtering criteria so you will not be chosen often without your PMP or CAPM.

The table below summarizes the why for increased salary or job qualification.  Others do it to be more valuable to their employer to stabilize their job value.

You can see the differences in salary.  However, not all industries care as much about your project management training as some do, which skews the overall results.  Construction, for example, has a lower percentage of job openings that ask for the PMP.  Software jobs are at the higher end of that scale.  So you should filter on your vertical or horizontal desired segment and desired locations to get the best results for you.

You will likely find that the PMP has a substantial, well over 10%, positive effect on salary (or contract rate) and can be 30%-plus for areas like US Department of Defense large contractors and in major urban areas.

There has also been a disturbing trend of organizations to label their jobs “Project Manager” when they really are roles like “Project Admin” or “Project Coordinator” to attract candidates.  Many people have reported some PM roles at organizations like Dell are really not PM’s at all, rather Admins or Assistants really just compiling status reports and similar work with little real power.

That is not to say that Dell and others do not have real project and program manager spots, just that they have figured out they can get a higher caliber candidate at a lower salary or rate if the position says Project Manager, so beware.

Study and Learn About the PMP or the CAPM via our Free MeetUp

Join and attend Virtually via our Zoom sessions or in person in Austin TX https://www.meetup.com/PM-Exam-Group/.

The MeetUp leaders arrange for covering all areas of the tests including how to apply, the complex application, studying, taking practice exams and more.

Project Management Certifications – Your Thoughts?

Thoughts on how you can best determine if project management training is right for you?  Good luck and keep your eye out for ways to keep your career moving forward!

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