I'm currently in the process of studying for the CAPM and was reviewing possible career opportunities in east Canada. The jobs listed stated that a Masters certificate in project management would be considered an asset.
I have called my previous university but found out that the certificate was no longer being offered at that university. I have found a university in the USA that offers the certificate and registration has to be done by March 31
My questions today are as follows
- Is a masters certificate worth it and should you do it prior to taking the PMP?
- are the certified scrum master certifications (CSM) worth getting?
- are the lean six sigma belts worth it if you plan on transitioning into the software industry as a project manager?
- do you suggest a particular university for the masters certificate?
Any advice or personal experience is greatly appreciated and I thank you Saving Changes...
Most Masters certificate programs in project management will provide you with a good grounding in the fundamentals of PM across the PMBOK knowledge areas. I took the George Washington University one over twenty years ago and it was very well aligned with the PMBOK. I found it useful at that time as I was transitioning from being an accidental PM to a "real" one. The GWU certificate is licensed to different institutions so you don't need to take it in the U.S.
I'd suggest doing it before you go for your PMP.
A CSM can't hurt, but you need no experience delivering in an adaptive manner to earn it so it doesn't prove anything.
LSS certifications are of value if the company you are applying to values them and has a quality excellence program. Otherwise, I'd skip those. To earn a credible LSS belt (green, black or MBB) you do need to have hands-on experience applying LSS tools to one or more process improvement initiatives.
I don't know that a masters certificate is a big bonus on a resume, but it is half a masters degree, will be good prep for the PMP exam, and should provide some valuable learning so it definitely has value. I enrolled in a certificate program myself because I could then enroll in my MS program without first taking the GRE exam as a pre-requisite. Any accredited university should be fine.
Six sigma belts may be useful depending on what you do. I took the blackbelt prep course but decided it wouldn't be of much use in my own personal career so I didn't go for the belt. In many domains like if you are manufacturing focused, it could be a significant benefit. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
While we are in a globalized world where you can work located in a country but for companies in other places in the world my first answer is certifications and degrees will depends on the market where you are thinking to work in. In some places a master degree on project management do not add value to your CV but a master on business administration adds high value to your CV. So, the point is, at least what I did, you have to estimate future market demands. With that said, I think that getting CAPM will not help too much. In my personal opinion wait for getting PMP is the option. On the other side, most of the companies hire Scrum Masters based on the experience not in the certification because it is "easy" to certificate after a two day course then the criteria to hire Scrum Master has changed a lot. At the end, my point is: create your vision about what you want to be in the future and with that on hand create the strategy. Saving Changes...
