Erik DykemanAssistant Project Manager| WT Rich CompanySandown, Nh, United States
I've been working as a PM for 7 years now. My title, though, is still APM. I studied for, and received, my PMP 2 years ago and am set to graduate shortly with a MS in Project Management. When listing out my credentials, the size of projects I've worked on, what I've done on these projects, people are often left amazed. My issue is that it stops there...the amazement doesn't follow into meetings with HR, hiring managers, or executives.
This has lead me to believe that experience will always trump certifications.
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1 reply by Cynthia Clark
Jul 18, 2016 4:45 PM
Cynthia Clark
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Erik,
Congratulations on all you have accomplished! I think you are going to have to initiate the meetings with your manager to get the promotion that both your experience and your certification says you have earned. Just waiting for them to say "that's great, lets promote you" is not going to happen. In my organization in my weekly one on ones with my manager, I would start the conversation there. It would probably to into my performance planning for moving to the next level. If necessary I would take it to my manager's manager.
Congratulations again and good luck!
Saving Changes...
Michael BensonPM III| IndependentBoulder, Co, United States
experience first Saving Changes...
Cynthia ClarkProgram Manager| Dish NetworkCentennial, Co, United States
Jul 18, 2016 1:05 PM
Replying to Erik Dykeman
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I've been working as a PM for 7 years now. My title, though, is still APM. I studied for, and received, my PMP 2 years ago and am set to graduate shortly with a MS in Project Management. When listing out my credentials, the size of projects I've worked on, what I've done on these projects, people are often left amazed. My issue is that it stops there...the amazement doesn't follow into meetings with HR, hiring managers, or executives.
This has lead me to believe that experience will always trump certifications.
Erik,
Congratulations on all you have accomplished! I think you are going to have to initiate the meetings with your manager to get the promotion that both your experience and your certification says you have earned. Just waiting for them to say "that's great, lets promote you" is not going to happen. In my organization in my weekly one on ones with my manager, I would start the conversation there. It would probably to into my performance planning for moving to the next level. If necessary I would take it to my manager's manager.
Congratulations again and good luck! Saving Changes...
Satish SharmaCertified SAP S4Hana 1909 Financials Expert| FreelanceNew Delhi, India
Very fundamental question! Actually its good to be hands on then get the certification as it is in my case. I could easily relate to my plusses and minuses of my practical experience with that of the theory of project management while learning through PMBOK. Saving Changes...
Hi George. Late to the party, so what I am going to say may already have been said by others. I will speak of my own path to certification. I had to get the experience first during one of my attachments as an Undergraduate. Then in my first jobs working in project engineering, I realised that project management has a totally different methodology compared to conventional management. So I enrolled for a certificate in project management course which focused on the then 9 areas of project management. Using those principles and those borrowed from my experienced colleagues, I later buttressed the knowledge and experience by going for the PMP certification. In my view, experience is necessary before certification. Saving Changes...
Shiv JangidProject Manager| 1976Plainsboro, Nj, United States
I acquired experience and getting into certification. It always helps if you know balancing before walking on a rope. But one should not wait for doing PMP, just because he/she doesn't have any experience. There is always a beginning and if you have it in you, you will get it on your job. Saving Changes...
Rajiv GuptaProgram Manager - IT| WinWire TechnologiesDallas, Tx, United States
If you are able to get experience first within the current organization/ job then that would be of great help for one to relate with and understand better the various knowledge areas. For a fresh individual looking for an opportunity of a project manager outside may be difficult and having a certification may be of advantage to be in the top few of the candidates. Saving Changes...
Maniraj NagarajanAssociate Vice President, Learning Platforms| Novac Technology Solutions Pvt Ltd.Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Certification may be a pathway for a job in few areas, but this is not certainly for a PMP, for me PMP is about practicing, experiencing the project life cycle and understand the nuances and best practices to be a successful manager, the certification just recognizes your skills and provides an opportunity to learn and improve. certification alone does not justify or qualify you enough to be a PM, you also need certain skills which cannot be taught but have to be experienced. Saving Changes...
I think it first depends with the field you are in, though in general terms a certificate is believed to prove your understanding and experience shows your ability to execute.for me certificate first Saving Changes...
Anastasia MalievskayaProject Controls Manager| Bluewater Energy Services BVHaarlem, North Holland, Netherlands
Certification. I am talking from the Project Controls perspective. Being in Project Controls for over a decade, I have seen and worked with dozens of Project Managers and with all confidence I am telling you - those who were Certified had much more control over the projects, as well as healthier projects over all.
One must first learn the rules to be able to work around them. Saving Changes...
