Certification Vs Experience

Charu brings a good point. At the opposite end, there's also the position you are trying to staff. I once picked up a business analyst to help me in project management activities. The person had no PM experience, let alone certification. Because they were part of my PM team, I was willing to accept someone with no experience. In such jobs, soft skills can be more important that PM experience.

You know, George, these discussions have lives of their own. We all build upon each other to bring out and unwrap our "experience". That is much more valuable than our combined total of certifications!

I would say experience can be tricky because many PM also failed the exam as they try to map the experience. But the real thing is that you have to follow what the PMBOK describe. I will conclude that go for certification. Also we need to understand that less or no experience on managing project can not satisfy the requirement for someone to be eligible for the PMP exam

I would say experience can be tricky because many PM also failed the exam as they try to map the experience. But the real thing is that you have to follow what the PMBOK describe. I will conclude that go for certification. Also we need to understand that less or no experience on managing project can not satisfy the requirement for someone to be eligible for the PMP exam

As a Program Manager that frequently hires Project Managers, I prefer experience over education and/or certifications in most cases. Obviously, a combination of experience and education is desired, and in many cases, the certifications are required by my customers. My personal preference is based on more than 25 years of managing projects and programs. That is not to say I always hire experience over certifications. So much depends on the role for which I am hiring.

This topic comes up frequently in my discussions with PMs in my industry and it seems it is a pretty even split on preferences. In general, I find the best roles for those with little experience, but plenty of education, are in an administrative role within a PMO or a large program. Tasks such as compiling reports, assisting with building a WBS, and helping to build a schedule seem to be a good fit. Practical application of the knowledge gained while earning a Project Management degree or studying for the PMP exam is a long process that cannot afford shortcuts.

Thanks for your input...

Not a simple answer after all, interesting debate...