Hi,
I am a bit confused. I have 3yrs of experience in IT industry as a Programmer/Developer and on different stages/phases of Project Life cycle. I have also handled Requirements, worked on creating SSRD documents, DART. Have been an assistant project manager in order to learn about the project management. I have a Masters Degree in Computer Science and I would like to know "how do I find out which one of these PMI certifications should I take?" PMP or CAPM or PMI-RMP or PMI-SP ???
Secondly, how do you know if you have done 4500hrs of project management in order to prove your eligibility to take either of these certifications. No company would give you a chance to start getting experience in Project management or Scheduling or Risk management after your degree.
Third and last Question: With my Masters degree in Computer Science + 3 yrs of programming experience and working on different stages/phases of a project life cycle for couple of projects = am I eligible to take either of these certifications (because I am really interested in getting into such a career rather than Programming alone. I am not a good programmer).
First things first: acknowledging that one's not a good programmer is definitely a step in the right direction! 8)
Seriously: by your description it looks like you've already moved a long way into being eligible for the PMP certification. I would say that the CAPM is good for someone who has done lots less than you. You might not have reached yet the 4500h threshold, but you can't be too far now!
If you take a look at the on-line registration form on pmi.org you'll see that its aim is to verify that you've gathered enough expertise on each of the relevant knowledge areas. Whether while doing it your role was Project Manager, Team Leader or Rookie Scheduler doesn't really matter that much.
The form guides you in detailing that experience and tracking the time spent on each one. Plus you can start filling it in today, realize that you haven't got enough hours, and come back in 6 months to add more lines to it (it will expire as a registration, but the data will be kept for you as long as your pmi.org user is still there...).
I would suggest to try to keep involved in Project Management activities, and to target the PMP certification.
Best regards,
Miquel Gantzer
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Don KimPROJECT-TO-PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT EXPERT| Seeking opportunitiesSacramento, CA, United States
You have enough for the PMP and I would take that first. Calculating hours is the hardest part of the application process. I have a spreadsheet I created to do this in an automated way which many others have found useful. You can obtain it here:
Andrew CotterellTransformation Manager| World Intellectual Property OrganisationGeneva, Switzerland
You should bear in mind that, although it's increasingly popular to approach it this way, getting PMP certification isn't a good way to start being a PM; it's supposed to be confirmation of your existing ability to be a PM. Having said that, doing the studying for the exam will give you an academic background in some useful PM disciplines and will guide you towards areas of work that you need to move towards in order to gain experience.
Getting the certification would certainly show willing on your part, but most employers who know what they are doing will hire someone with demonstrable PM experience over someone with a certification and little or no experience.
Of course, there are always employers who don't know what they are doing, but do you really want to go from being a "not good" programmer to being a "not good" PM? Saving Changes...
