Project Management

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Certification Study Path - Choosing Correctly

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Eric Scher Owner| Gravel Doctor of Ohio Oh, United States

I am what I think of as an accidental project manager. My specialties are technology construction, mainly telecom, and light civil construction. I have been in the field since the early 1990's and simply fell into managing larger and larger projects. Most recently I spent a few years building a $100M+ Statewide FTTH project, where my role was more akin to Program Management than Project Management.

Background:

I can no longer do the physical side of the work I've been doing for 30+ years, and must transition to a less physical management role. (Sr. Management / Director level)

Problem 1:

Because I literally came up from the trenches as opposed to an academic path, I am lacking any sort of formal credential that specifically relates to project management. I am also lacking the more formalized information and knowledge that goes along with that.

Problem 2:

Although it seems clear that a PMP-CP would be the correct certification; it is not necessarily obvious which preparation paths/courses/classes would be a proper match for the test I want to take.

Pre-Qualification items:

I have degrees in Math, History & Engineering; as well as 30 years overall experience, and have been managing major projects since 2012. At this point, what I am lacking is the specific PMP training hours, and am at the stage where I need to select a training option.

Challenge & Question:

There are multiple certification paths and training option, and not all of them are as well labeled or described as I would like. I have become concerned that I may accidentally select a training course that is more oriented towards software development, than the building of tangible assets.

I am currently located in downstate New York, in the NYC metro area.

I'm looking for any guidance, help, or suggestions that anyone may have for training partners that are specifically oriented towards the PMP-CP exam, or which at least don't leave out vital chunks of material.
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Luis Branco CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
A very strong background, and I would separate two decisions before choosing a training provider.

First, PMP and PMI-CP are different credentials.
PMI-CP provides construction-specific specialization, while PMP validates project leadership across industries and predictive, hybrid and agile ways of working.

Given your experience, I would choose from the role you want next, not simply from the work you have done before.
With 30 years in telecom and construction, domain experience is already a major asset.
The question is which credential best complements what your experience already demonstrates.

Second, choose the credential before the course.
Then select preparation explicitly aligned with its current Exam Content Outline and eligibility requirements.
I would not interpret Agile or adaptive content in PMP preparation as evidence that a course is software-oriented. PMP deliberately covers multiple ways of working.

Your experience is not something a certification needs to replace.
The opportunity is to formalize it, identify genuine knowledge gaps, and add a credential that strengthens your transition toward the senior role you want next.
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1 reply by Eric Scher
Aug 19, 2026 2:31 PM
Eric Scher
...
Thank you, Luis.
I'm leaning strongly towards the PMI-CP, largely for practical reasons.
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Rami Kaibni
Community Champion
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten Associates New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Eric, which certification you are planning to pursue. You mentioned “PMP-CP,” so I wasn’t sure whether you meant the PMP or the PMI-CP.

In your case, I would highly recommend pursuing the PMP first. It is one of the most globally recognized project management credentials and, in my opinion, would complement your overall expertise and experience better than an industry-specific credential such as the PMI-CP. That said, the PMI-CP is an outstanding certification, and I would consider pursuing it as a second credential after obtaining the PMP.

For the PMP, I recommend checking out Joseph Phillips PMP courses on Udemy. His courses are very well structured and are typically available at a very affordable price.

For study resources, I recommend using the PMBOK Guide Eighth Edition as your primary reference, along with Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep book as a supplementary resource. For practice and simulation exams, PM PrepCast is also an excellent resource for getting familiar with the types of questions you can expect on the exam.

Good luck with your certification journey!
...
1 reply by Eric Scher
Aug 19, 2026 2:31 PM
Eric Scher
...
Rami,
Yes, that was my error. I did mean PMI-CP vs PMP.
avatar
Eric Scher Owner| Gravel Doctor of Ohio Oh, United States
Aug 19, 2026 12:23 PM
Replying to Luis Branco
...
A very strong background, and I would separate two decisions before choosing a training provider.

First, PMP and PMI-CP are different credentials.
PMI-CP provides construction-specific specialization, while PMP validates project leadership across industries and predictive, hybrid and agile ways of working.

Given your experience, I would choose from the role you want next, not simply from the work you have done before.
With 30 years in telecom and construction, domain experience is already a major asset.
The question is which credential best complements what your experience already demonstrates.

Second, choose the credential before the course.
Then select preparation explicitly aligned with its current Exam Content Outline and eligibility requirements.
I would not interpret Agile or adaptive content in PMP preparation as evidence that a course is software-oriented. PMP deliberately covers multiple ways of working.

Your experience is not something a certification needs to replace.
The opportunity is to formalize it, identify genuine knowledge gaps, and add a credential that strengthens your transition toward the senior role you want next.
Thank you, Luis.
I'm leaning strongly towards the PMI-CP, largely for practical reasons.
avatar
Eric Scher Owner| Gravel Doctor of Ohio Oh, United States
Aug 19, 2026 1:19 PM
Replying to Rami Kaibni
...
Eric, which certification you are planning to pursue. You mentioned “PMP-CP,” so I wasn’t sure whether you meant the PMP or the PMI-CP.

In your case, I would highly recommend pursuing the PMP first. It is one of the most globally recognized project management credentials and, in my opinion, would complement your overall expertise and experience better than an industry-specific credential such as the PMI-CP. That said, the PMI-CP is an outstanding certification, and I would consider pursuing it as a second credential after obtaining the PMP.

For the PMP, I recommend checking out Joseph Phillips PMP courses on Udemy. His courses are very well structured and are typically available at a very affordable price.

For study resources, I recommend using the PMBOK Guide Eighth Edition as your primary reference, along with Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep book as a supplementary resource. For practice and simulation exams, PM PrepCast is also an excellent resource for getting familiar with the types of questions you can expect on the exam.

Good luck with your certification journey!
Rami,
Yes, that was my error. I did mean PMI-CP vs PMP.
avatar
Mary Okumu Management Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Thank you Eric for starting this conversation. Following keenly to learn on how best to make a choice too.

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