Warren SimonProgram Manager| DoDBaltimore, Md, United States
Working as a Program Manager for the U.S. Department of Defense, PMP (and, honestly, all of PMI's certifications) are almost unnecessary. By contrast, DoD has a learning curriculum via the Defense Acquisition University (www.dau.mil) wherein we can (and more often must) obtain DAWIA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Acqu...mprovement_Act) certifications. I obtained my Level 2 certification (out of 3 levels) several years ago. And I am well on my way toward Level 3. In DoD, being DAWIA-certified at a certain level based on the tier (read: total lifecycle cost) of your Program is pretty much mandatory.
As for its actual usefulness, many of the courses are very generic to DoD's perspective of acquisition. But I have taken away many, many tidbits from every course I have taken thus far, some moreso than others. DoD definitely has its own way of doing things (many quite inefficient), but we have to abide by the rules. These courses attempt to teach us what those rules are. Saving Changes...
