Last month I completed my studies and took my Project Management Professional [PMP] exam administered by the Project Management Institute [PMI]. I Passed! I had been studying since December of 2004 to take the test; lots of reading and stacks of flashcards to back it up and pound it in. It is not only a relief to have successfully finished this certification but, it is likely the most prestigious of my certs to date. Yes, my MCSE NT 4.0 certification was great accomplishment. But, that was mainly because I crammed all of the tests into the 4th of July week in 1998. The real difference is that it was a information Technology certification that had mainly vendor proprietary procedures and jargon at it’s core. The PMP certification is a management and applied knowledge certification. PMP and project management has foundational principles that can be applied in a wide array of circumstances and situations to increase productivity and reduce the risk of failure.

Because I had never completed my Bachelors degree, this certification gives me an almost equivalent edge in the market place. I personally used this certification to build a consulting business/reputation which eventually I will leverage to finish my degree and place myself squarely in the management “qualified” and “experienced” zone needed to advance my career.

In addition to my personal reasons stated above for working to  become PMP certified, there are more general benefits that include..

• PMP is internationally recognized credential from the PMI.
• Learning the PMBOK best practices makes one more valuable as an employee and shows initiative.
• PMP requires experiential evidence of 4500 hrs of Bachelors Degree holders and 7500 hrs project work for those without the Bachelors Degree (my situation). This is valuable in confirming project management experience to potential employers.
• PMP Salary Facts*:
  • Those who have held the PMP credential for two to four years earn median salaries of $64,400. That’s 15.6 percent higher than the $55,720 annual earnings of non-credentialed project managers with similar experience levels.
  • Those who have held the PMP credential for five to nine years earn median salaries of $94,340. That’s 17.2 percent higher than the $80,500 annual earnings of non-credentialed project managers with similar experience levels.
  • Those who have held the PMP credential for more than 10 years are rewarded with median annual salaries of $102,000. That’s a 13.3 percent increase over those of non-credential holders with similar experience levels.

    *Source: PMI’s Project Management Salary Survey, Fourth Edition.

My personal conclusion: PMP is a certification that can be obtained by those who do not have degrees but, have significant project experience and who may need a confidence builder and the income sufficient finance  getting back to school and completing a university degree thus rounding out their management experience and formal education.

- PMP Number: 226081 (issued to Robert D. Watkins) Apr 2005 – Apr 2012

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