Maintaining My Credential - Networking & PDUs

Last weeks' Professional Development Day (PDD) went really well.  I enjoyed the speakers, for the most part, and the food was good.  Be honest, with yourself at least.  Isn't food one of the motivating factors for going to all day meetings?  I'm not saying it's the most important reason, but everything else being equal, if you had to choose between two events wouldn't you choose the event with the best food?

In addition to PDUs, PDDs and other chapter events are a great way to get to know your peers.  Whether or not you are looking for a job as a PM, it is important to know the career landscape - which companies have PMs, what are their titles, what skillsets are more important to the company...  

I am no longer looking for work, but I feel it is important to my career to be aware of the career landscape and make contacts, in case the decision to look for a new job is made for me at some point in the future or in case I end up working with some of these people in the future - either while at my current employer or somewhere else.  Whether or not you think you are at risk of layoff, you need to be prepared for the possibility that either you will get laid off and need to look for work.  That is when having contacts can pay off.

I went to the PDD with  my team.  Because of this, I did not do as much networking as I would have, otherwise.  But I am okay with that as I have only been with the company for a couple of months and it is good to get to know my team better.  I did make it a point to introduce myself to one of the speakers after a class I attended.  The speaker is a program office director at a company that my company will hopefully be working closely with, soon.  It was a good opportunity to meet him in a neutral setting, so that when we start meeting formally we will already have the beginnings of a relationship.  That can't hurt.

I'm up to 13 PDUs, now.  All category 3, so far, but they are unlimited so no complaints.  I tried to enter my experience from my previous employer (category 2H)), but the site would not let me because the experience was less than 6 months.  I sent a message in to PMI customer support - I'll let you know what they say.

I have to admit, the process for submitting PDUs is easier, now, with the changes to the tool.  I just hope there ends up being a way to account for less than 6 months PM experience with a given employer - I'm not the only PM who is going to have experience with more than one employer, this year.

My closing point - don't just get PDUs for the sake of getting PDUs. Make them meaningful.  You're a PM, for goodness sake - use your skillsets to at least create a high level plan that has some meaning, rather than waiting until you have 6 months left and have to rush through your PDUs without barely thinking about them.

Good luck, and good planning!