Do you really need a PMP to get ahead in Project Management?
To PMP or not to be, that is the question. Is the PMP truly the certification above all others for Project Managers, and are you missing out if you don’t have one?
About me With over 12 years of experience in the industry as a Technical PM, I am a Director of Program Management for Y Media Labs, a digital agency based out of Silicon Valley.
Background:
For several years I’ve been heavily engaged with a large growing community of people looking to get into tech. These could be recent grads, or more commonly people wanting to transition from low-paying jobs that require them to commute and be present in person (hello great resignation!) to any of the increasing numbers of remote jobs in the technology space. Not all of these individuals want to learn to code and many are looking to engage in non-technical fields, such as Project Management. As they look to enter these fields, they wonder about certifications they could obtain that would set them apart.
Most of the time I see questions about this topic asked in one of the following two ways:
- What is the best certification to get for PM?
- Should I get the PMP?
In reality, the questions they frequently mean to ask are:
- Will a certification help you get a job in PM?
- Which cert is best for entry-level PMs?
Today I will answer the first set of questions, and in a subsequent article that will be linked to this, I will answer the latter. Let’s dive in.
What is the best certification to get for Project Managers?
This is a straightforward question that will probably get you pointed in the direction of the PMP. The PMP (offered by PMI) has been long considered the “gold standard” of Project Management certifications for a few reasons. To obtain a PMP you need to pay a fee ($405-$555 for non-members), pass an extensive exam and have one of the following two sets of requirements:
- A four-year degree, 36 months leading projects + 35 hours of project management education/training
-OR-
- A high school diploma or an associate’s degree (or global equivalent), 60 months leading projects, 35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM® Certification
PMI describes the PMP as “the world’s leading project management certification.”
Do you need to get the PMP?
Think of being an expert Project Manager as learning to be an expert at playing an instrument. When you are learning to play an instrument, the process is composed of two parts:
- Learning the Theory. i.e. reading the music, understanding the notes, timing, and recommended technique.
- The actual playing of a song on the instrument.
For this example, I will use playing the piano.
When starting the practice you begin by learning to read music and play scales. You begin to understand all the notes available to you and can start to piece together how songs come together using various combinations. Even when you have mastered the understanding of the scales. it is still likely that the first time you put them together to play a song, it will sound a bit rough. With practice, you learn to nail that song. This is a lot like learning the methods, tools, and processes to execute a project without being heavily immersed in the day-to-day execution.
In project management, having a project plan for how it is “supposed to be executed” is easy to recite in theory. Only when you add the variables that come with execution do you understand all of the nuances behind successfully managing the project. However, over time, armed with the ideal process and the experience, you become an expert in managing this type of project.
Now, on the other hand, is it possible that you can sit down and pick out a tune on the piano without ever reading a page of sheet music? Absolutely! However, there will be stumbles along the way as you find the notes you need with no guide like sheet music. Now let’s say you find a mentor that has been practicing several years longer than you. Under their guidance, you learn twice as fast as learning on your own and might even pick up on some of the theoretical knowledge that they have learned in their time. Eventually, you play a song so beautifully, that you’d shock people if you told them you couldn’t read a full page of music.
In the same way, Project Management can come very naturally with the right team, organization, and leadership skills. However, it can be more challenging to try and discover best practices and methods on your own when you haven’t studied proven and repeatable processes for success.
Getting the PMP is like learning the expert theory and process related to playing an instrument.
- Can you be a great Project Manager without a PMP? Yes, 100%
- Is it a requirement to have a PMP? Absolutely not.
- Can you benefit from the teachings of the PMP and will it show others that you understand the process & best practices to be a successful PM? Definitely.
- Is it possible to make more money if you have a PMP? Possibly. In the same that you might make more money if you have a master’s degree.
Now there are certainly other reasons one might want to be able to share that shiny PMP credential behind their name. Sometimes ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) might be looking for this term when sourcing candidates or selecting resumes out of a large number of candidates. Could it give you a competitive edge? It’s not guaranteed, but possibly!
There are also statistics that show that “The median salary for project professionals in North America is 25% higher than those without it.”
Does that mean they make more because of the PMP? Eh… not really. It could also mean those with a PMP are likely to already have more experience in the field, and typically greater experience equals greater income. Higher-income could also equal more disposable funds to obtain the certification in the first place.
In the end, it is your experience delivering successful projects, and the leadership skills to do it again that will make you a great project management candidate. Some great Project Management candidates will have a PMP and that is amazing! Some great Project Management candidates will not, and that’s completely ok too.
