Is PMP Worth It?

Hi, I'm Karl Pritchard. And today we're going to deal with the question of, is it really worth it to chase the PMP? Is it really worth doing all this work through ExamsPM? Is it worth getting this certification? And I'll give you my short answer. And it's obvious. Yes. Yes, it is. It's well worth it to chase down the Project Management Professional certification. For some of you more so than others, but frankly, I think it's a great credential and I think it's a lasting credential. Of course I believe that. And the reason I believe that is because I got my PMP certificate back in 1992. Wow. 1992. Yeah, that's a long time ago. I am PMP number 1,049. Number 1,049. It's right over here. Yeah, 1,049. There are now roughly 900,000 PMPs on the planet. I was PMP before it was cool. Yeah, but you are now thinking about it and you're thinking, well, if there's that many of them, I'm not going to really stand out. Why should I bother chasing this certification? Well, Number of reasons you should. And foremost amongst them is the whole notion that you want to be able to say to people, I am a certified professional. I am good at my craft. I know what my craft is supposed to look like. When I was younger in PM, much younger, when I was in my 30s, it's kind of interesting because I would have people come up to me and go, why should I trust you? You haven't grown your first nose hair yet. And it was like, yes, but— and I was able to fall back on the fact that I was a certified PMP and they didn't have certified PMPs on staff. Or if they did, I was able to say, I'm a certified PMP and I can speak their language. We can talk in the same culture. We actually have the same background. That's one element that you want to seriously consider when you're thinking about, should I chase this down? Should I actually pursue the PMP? Short answer again, yes. Now the longer answer again, should I pursue the PMP? Absolutely. Why? Well, for one, it gives you cred. For two, it actually puts you in a place where you are able to mingle with, get to know, and interact with serious professionals in our craft. Serious professionals. That's right. There are some project managers who are actually, God forbid, serious. And what's been compelling for me over the past 30 years, I have learned so much from my peers. And the reason we're able to have intelligent conversations is because we speak A common language. We speak the language of PMI. We speak PMP. That helps a great deal. Is it actually worth it? It's been worth it enough that every 3 years since I got my certificate, I have had to renew. That's right. You have to keep going with ongoing education and ongoing meetings and so on and so forth. You do have to do that stuff. If you're going to keep your PMP current. But you want to do that because it actually forces you into a box where you are going to be compliant with what's going on in the rest of the profession. You're learning from your peers. Think about it. I got 30 years of project management learning under my belt. That's a great place to be. It really is, because in the course of that time, I've had the honor and the privilege of working with some of the most skilled professionals on the planet who probably wouldn't have taken me terribly seriously if I didn't have those 3 little letters after my name, PMP. You do want it. You really genuinely do. The funny thing is most people fight and fight to get it, and I will never go through that exam again. And they have those kinds of moments. And they're not a PMP for a year before I'm getting email traffic that actually says, hey, can you recommend any of the other certifications? Now that's what makes it kind of compelling. If it's important enough that you wanted to think about it in the first place, and the people who actually finish it are almost immediately starting to look at, okay, great, what can I do next? Then you're in a good circle. This is a good place to be. Does it help me though? Yes. PMI publishes an annual salary survey that shows that PMPs who are certified, obviously, but PMPs actually earn more to the order of greater than 10% more than their peers who are not certified. Doesn't mean that organizations are going through going, oh, PMP, bump his salary by 10%, or, oh, look at this, not a PMP, bring her salary down. No, there's none of that going on. But at the same time, generally speaking, you've shown an interest in your profession. You've shown an interest in being perceived as a professional. These are the kind of people who move up in the world. These are the kinds of people who actually are perceived as the next gen, the next generation of leaders, the next generation of people who will actually run companies. And indeed, as PMI moves forward and continues to expand what's going on, they are our advocates. Now, it's not often I join any kind of association or group, and it's even less often that I get involved in Volunteering at a national level. I've done all that. Those national volunteering moments have been a wonder to me because I've gotten exposure with people I would not have expected to have exposure with. I've become allies and friends with people I really wouldn't have considered my peers, but who, much to my joy, actually consider me their peer. I'm honored by that. The PMP has opened those doors. Is it worth it? When I first got my PMP, my whole reason for doing it was my boss, Ed, best boss I ever had. My boss, Ed, walked into my office one day and said, Karl, you need to get certified. And I was like, why? I'm doing the job, aren't I? And he goes, oh, you're doing a great job. You're doing a lot of really good stuff. Really appreciate everything you're doing. Good job. Now get certified. I was like, Ed, I don't think I need the certification. I'm just kind of working on my projects. And yes, and that's why you need certified. And he kind of pushed me into it. I had zero desire to be a PMP. And yet the fact that Ed pushed me into it has made my career what it is now. My career is anchored to My PMP. My salary is anchored to the PMP. It really is. The fact that I've earned the money I have earned over the years, the fact that I am living well, the fact that I have the respect of others in the project management community largely hinges on the fact that I can turn to somebody and when they ask, say, oh yes, I'm a PMP. Kind of like it's a given. It's not a given. It's a lot of hard work. Don't expect it to come easily. Don't expect it to feel like, oh, this is the way it should be. Of course I got the PMP. That was easy peasy. Trust me, once you sit for the exam, you'll never want to do it again. But what you will want to do is to keep up your professional development units. You'll want to ensure that you actually have a clear understanding of the profession and the information that goes with the profession. And you're going to want to make sure you're current. It forces you into those boxes, and those are good boxes to be forced into. If you're ever looking for a way to enhance your career, one of the first places people go nowadays is certifications. Some certifications require only a 2-day training. You sit for the exam and you're done. Very nice. Some certifications require you prove rigor in the profession. That's what makes the PMP exam worth it. You get to prove you have that rigor. You get to prove that you have those capabilities. You get to prove that you are a skilled professional who understands The craft. It's worth it to sit for the exam if those are things you feel like you have to prove to yourself, to your clients, to your boss, to your peers. More importantly than anything else, I can say that my PMP has proven it to myself. That was the one person I really needed To get past the whole notion of imposter syndrome and get to the point where, yeah, you know what? I really am managing big stuff. It does matter. The PMP just helps me prove that.