George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Dec 31, 2016 6:47 PM
Replying to Chanukya Rajagopala
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Chicken or Egg?
Both roadmaps have pros and cons
My own -
Accounting professional by education.
Management Professional by profession
Project Management core specalisation of my Management profession.
Progression by experience........
Certification as a backfill to ensure relevance in the industry and knowledge build.
Chanu - I like your approach, thanks for sharing... Saving Changes...
I am PMP certified and seeking a career challenge to prove myself in this area. Although I have managed engineering projects, I am looking forward to manage projects in the IT domain. Saving Changes...
There must be a balance between experience and certifications. I believe that you must have both.
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1 reply by George Lewis
Jan 02, 2017 1:09 PM
George Lewis
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Juan Gabriel - indeed... that's the ideal...
Saving Changes...
George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Jan 02, 2017 10:56 AM
Replying to Juan Gabriel Gantiva Vergara
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There must be a balance between experience and certifications. I believe that you must have both.
Juan Gabriel - indeed... that's the ideal... Saving Changes...
Kacy KellyProject Manager, Assistant Vice President| PNC BankPittsburgh, Pa, United States
Jul 08, 2016 9:38 AM
Replying to Kacy Kelly
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In my case, I had little experience but acquired my certification. My hope was that my PMP would open doors to a career path I was passionate about and wanted to be a part of it. However, many employers see the certification and assume I have years of hard PM experience. I have the knowledge base but little experience putting that knowledge to work. I've lucked out and found a position, but it was difficult. How do you get experience when employers won't hire you because you don't have experience?
thank you both for your advice. Saving Changes...
Ed Tsyitee JrConsultant | Consultant Tucson, Az, United States
I wanted to change careers to human resources. So, I earned my Masters in Human Resource Management. Recent graduates are not allowed to earn any SHRM certifications, since they don't offer any. Then I noticed a lot of HR jobs wanted project management experience, so I went back to school and earned my Masters in Project Management.
6 months after graduation, I earned my CAPM certification. I then decided that I would pursue project management as a career, since HRM is part of project management.
After all this education and prep, guess what? It apparently doesn't matter. Years of experience is more valuable the certifications and education. Those are just bonuses with the job candidate. It's really frustrating when you are looking for work.
So, get experience first, then education, then certification if needed. Saving Changes...
Benjamin C. AnyachoSnr. Project Manager| Texas Department of TransportationPflugerville, Tx, United States
Experience or Credential? Do you really need PMP certification? Does it matter?
I managed different types of complicated project for more than 15 years before I became a certified PMP. Prior to my certification, I worked with some certified PMPs, who forgot the PMBOK immediately after their certifications. Some of them where certified before the First World War! LOL! At initiation of some complicated and large projects, when you talk to them about starting with a good project charter or planning—developing a project management plan, a simple change management plan, communication management, etc., and following some basic prescriptions of PMBOK for project management, these PMPs are looking at you as though you are coming from another planet or merely wasting their precious time with your PMBOK details.
Following the principles and methodologies of project management for Agile or waterfall projects suggests that this profession is not for lazy folks! Unfortunately, some certified PMPs seem to be best at the lapel! PMP requires a perfect marriage of experience and credential. I believe that passion comes first, experience second, and credentials third! You need this trinity. Just like the triple constraint, each leg impacts the other. I’m passionate! That’s why I became certified. I wanted to formalize what I’ve been doing for years. Show what you know!
The certification process messed up everything I thought that I knew, though. Now I'm mentoring dozens of other project managers to be top-notched PMPs. You have to show your credentials by your meticulous applications of the principles and methodologies of project management in your entire project—as you integrate PMBOK’s 47 processes (will soon become 49 processes), from initiation to closing. That’s why I have fun with this profession. Let me know what you think. Saving Changes...
John TiesoAuthor, Lecturer in Business Management| The Catholic University of America, Busch School of Business & EconomicsArlington, Va, United States
Mar 29, 2016 9:33 PM
Replying to Bala S Duvvuri
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IMO second one is the best and i think it depends on certification to certification for example for Certified Scrum Master(CSM) you don't need any experience,just attend 2 days training and then get certified but in case of PMP you need to have experience and solid understanding of the concepts then only you can go and attain the certification.
There are two ways to look at this question, in my view
1- Work on projects invariably helps when taking more formal courses to pursue certifications. A person with even limited experience gains from understanding real world tasks and requirements as they often occur in real time, and can then be mapped to the classwork before certification testing.
The danger of course, is in gaining too much knowledge and experience, you might be gaining the wrong kind of information, and will have to use the classroom work to 'unlearn' some bad habits, or risk having your own internal arguments on which view is better, risking failing the certification exams.
2- Taking the classwork, and completing the examination, if possible, process enables you to learn 'standard' practice' (Which, by the way is not always synonymous with 'best practice'), and clears your head for both the exam and initial projects without the many bad habits which can easily creep in.
If you do elect to travel this path, I suggest you find in your organization a mentor with experience--one who can discuss what you are learning, explain many of its fine points, and guide you toward successful certification.
Just a few thoughts here. Saving Changes...
Edward DanielsProject Manager| IndependentGlen Burnie, Md, United States
It depends.... all experienced PMs know that should be our go to answer on all inquiries :)
However I don't personally think one is better than the other. If a candidate is fortunate to have someone hire him/her in a position where they can gain experience and work towards certification, I would say go for it. It would cost you less to get certified and most employers would cover some associated costs as well.
If that is not an option, it is not wrong to look towards certification before acquiring industry experience, it may cost you more in upfront costs and if you decide it isn't for you, then you may be out, a nice chunk of change.
My pesonal preference would be to get a job, and if it is your beat, work towards certifications and minimize out-of-pocket costs. People should be realistic that certification and education may, i say may get them a job but their expectations should be realistic. I have talked to recent graduates who have never managed a team and believe a PMP certification would get them a 6-figure income within a year of practising.
I have seen a "15-year experienced Lead" with no certification or management experience per se get selected over a certified PMP with 10-year experience leading major teams on successful projects. They ended up selecting the certified PMP the 3rd time around to get things moving in the right direction after the failed experiment as i called them.
My advice to everyone is to explore first before committing based on salaries. Follow your passion and let it take you where it takes you without too much out-of-pocket costs. Saving Changes...
George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
This is and will always be an interesting disussion... Saving Changes...
