You may be a project manager and you have already reached the point in your career when you are not sure what else you should do. It does not mean that just because you are already a project manager, you are going to stop learning. You can still learn. In fact, there are different certification programs that are available to you.
One of the most popular certifications right now is PMP certification. There are some people who choose to learn PMP certification online because of different reasons. PMP or Project Management Professional certification is one of the most recognized certifications right now.
There are some people who are not sure if they should push through with this because it can take some time and a lot of money to accomplish. Those who are not project managers yet may not see the need to get this yet because it can be very expensive. According to some studies, this can be valuable to a lot of employees and their employers.
Getting PMP Certification
When you get a PMP certification, this will prove that you already know the proper standards of getting certified. This can be your validation that you are able to do different types of project management tasks that other people are unable to do. As a project manager, you are not only expected to come up with plans for projects. You are also meant to lead different people, your whole team to make sure that you can do the projects successfully.
There are certain qualifications that are needed before you can qualify for a PMP certification:
- You should have acquired 35 hours of education that is related to project management.
- You are required to have finished 7,500 hours if you have received an associate degree in project management.
- If you have a bachelor’s degree, the number of hours will be fewer as compared to having an associate’s degree. You need to have completed 4,500 hours.
There are different people who will be selected to get a chance to become certified. Take note that your experience and the education that you have received will matter.
If in case you want to ace the certification, there are different materials that you can get online that will help you out. There are some exam preparation courses that you can get. There are also some mock exams that will give you an idea of what to expect when you undergo the exam for the certification.
There are some employees who are lucky enough that their employees would like to pay for their certification. However, the pressure can be higher for the employees because they need to pass the exam. If you are wondering what type of exam you will get, this is a 200-question multiple choice exam. This might already seem challenging enough but you have to complete this exam in four hours.
Will it Be Worth it to Get PMP-Certified?
Do you think that it is worth it to become certified? When you undergo the certification, you can prove that you are highly committed to doing your job. Having the certification means that you are considered to have an edge over other project managers. You will have access to bigger and better projects which also means that you will be expected to get paid more.
There are some employers who will require that their project managers are PMP-certified. If you are not certified, this means that you will not be considered for the role. Who does not want to get a better position and also a better salary? A good salary means that you will be able to afford more things that will make your life more comfortable.
Take note that it is not only the certification that will determine how effective the project manager is going to be in doing his/her job. Some other things that are important are the following:
- The experience of the project manager will always matter. If you have already experienced different situations in the past, it will be easier for you to come up with the right solutions.
- Knowledge about different tasks will always be a plus.
- There are some people who are more determined than others in order to complete their tasks. The more determined you are, the better.
At this point, you may be wondering why should you choose PMP and not other certifications? This is one of the most globally-recognized certifications. If you want to work in another country, this may be a good option for you.
Bump Your Salary
This is probably one of the things that will motivate you to undergo certification and training. You can increase your salary and have enough funds to become more comfortable. A lot of certified project managers earn more than 15% more than those who are not certified. The extra percent will always be a huge factor.
Improve Your Scope
There are a lot of PMP-holders who know each other within the community because they want to help each other out. There are some forums that can be visited wherein different insights, tips, and experiences will be shared. There are always new developments and there are always new trends that those who are certified should be aware of.
Challenge Yourself with Challenging Projects
Are you always up for a challenge? If you answer yes, then you may want to get PMP-certified soon. This will make sure that you get the most challenging projects that are being offered by the company. There are some project managers who find themselves handling more than one project. They have the right skills in order to balance their time and effort into the projects that they are handling. You can see if you have truly earned the right skills in order to correctly become identified as a certified PMP project manager.
One of the things that you can do to become an asset to the company that you are working for is to show that you can work better as compared to other non-certified project managers. It will take much more than the right certification to do that but getting PMP-certified will surely help.