Have you just heard about PMP or having a hard time deciding why you should choose to be a project manager?
Are you in that job market where the managing skills are more appreciated? Confused about whether to make a career in project management or not? What will be the next career options available for me after project management? Just spend some time reading this blog and know the answers to all these questions and the reasons for making PMP as your career choice.
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Introduction to PMP Certification
What is PMP Certification?
PMP is short or Project Management Professional, which is globally, recognized professional certification. It’s managed by the Project Management Institute, a non-profit organization. PMP is considered essential for the project managers. Especially, for those who wish to take the next step in their career.
What is PMP Certification Exam?
Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), with industrial standards, is used as the guide for testing aspirants. The PMP exam tests the applicants on tasks out of three performance domains
- People- 42% (focusing on the soft skills necessary to successfully lead a project team in the ever-changing environment)
- Process- 50% (reinforcing the technical aspects of successfully managing projects)
- Business Environment – 8% (highlighting the connection between projects and organizational strategy)
(The number in percentage shows the weightage given to each domain in the exam)
The PMP Exam consists of about 180 multiple-choice questions. 5 are considered pretest questions. Pretest questions are used in exams as an efficient and legal technique to test the validity of upcoming examination questions even if they have no bearing on the final result. The exam’s questions are distributed at random. Out of 180 questions, around 50% are based on agile and hybrid project management approaches, while the remaining 50% are based on predictive project management methodologies. These exams include multiple-choice, multiple-response, matching, hotspot, and fill-in-the-blank questions. Moreover, the exam is closed-book. This implies that the candidate will not be permitted to utilize any reference materials while taking the examination. The time duration for the exam is 230 minutes.
What are the PMP Exam requirements?
To the question that asks, who should apply
PMI quotes that ,”If you’re an experienced project manager responsible for all aspects of project delivery, leading and directing cross-functional teams, then the PMP is the right choice for you.
There are certain requirements one should meet to be certified. A candidate must have either:
a secondary degree or high school diploma with 5 years of project management experience in leading projects and 35 contact hours of formal PMP Certification Training.
Or,
a 4-year degree or a bachelor’s degree and 3 years of project management experience in leading projects and 35 contact hours of Formal PMP Training.
OKAY now to the real question !
Is PMP Certification worth it?
Now let’s go through the drawbacks of PMP first . There are some disadvantages to consider if you are thinking about pursuing your PMP credentials. Time and money are a huge factor when it comes to the possible disadvantages. The cost of the exam and the courses you have to take before the exam can be costly, in addition to applying and studying for the exam which can be time-consuming considering you have to document your education and project management experience down to the process level.
Another disadvantage can be that passing the exam does not automatically make you a project management expert. It simply means that you passed the test and understood the framework of the project management process. This does not mean that your projects are successful; it merely indicates that you have the education, not necessarily project management skills. Finally, to keep your PMP Certification, you have to earn credits every three years which have associated costs with attending classes and costs to renew your certification every year.
Okay, enough with the sad part
let’s go through some good stuff that PMP Certification has to provide:
There are several advantages to getting your PMP Certification. First and foremost is the salary. Generally if you have your PMP certificate, you can expect to see about a USD 114,000 higher salary advantage over those who do not possess certificate. For employers, candidates who get the certificate show additional commitment to the project management career path. Therefore PMP Certification enhances your resume and can open doors for you when you are seeking a project management position.
Another advantage to getting the PMP certificate is that is automatically shows employers that you have project management experience. To be eligible to receive a PMP certificate, you need both a four-year degree in addition to at least three years of project management experience. The additional education you receive will also expand your network as you engage with peers that are in the project management field.
Really glad you made it this far reading my article, now to the conclusion whether you should take PMP Certification or not!
Now after considering all the advantages and disadvantages of PMP Certification, is it worth pursuing to further your project management career? The answer to this depends on your ultimate goals in the project management field. Of course, if you are pursuing a career in project management, the PMP Certificate can help you. It is an easy way for you to enter new countries, markets, and industries because your basic project management qualifications and expertise have been validated in a universal way.
However, if you are thinking of pursuing this certification solely for salary growth and not to further your education in project management, it truly isn’t worth the time and money you will need to put into it. You need to view the PMP Certification process as an investment that will further your project management career and not purely as a way to bump your salary up.
Conclusion
If you are thinking of pursuing this certification solely for salary growth and not to further your education in project management, it truly isn’t worth the time and money you will need to put into it. You need to view the PMP Certification process as an investment that will further your project management career and not purely as a way to bump your salary up. If you are interested in obtaining PMP Certificate, you can opt for PMP Certification Training. Training helps you to gain knowledge in the latest project management techniques which helps you to pass PMP Exam on the first attempt.
