Isn't that where "the one" bought his????
No silly, his was bought in Honolulu.
Oh wait, we're talking about degrees, not birth certificates........
Isn't that where "the one" bought his????
Jerry, if it crossed your mind it must be important to you. Go for it !
My wife finished her MBA two years ago at 34. It didn't immediately advance her in her career, but since she completed it, she has definitely found companies even more interested in her as a candidate for employment. Her company reimbursed her for the investment but they required her to stay for at least 12 months after completion.
Since then, she left the company she was with and upon being hired by a new firm, she saw approximately a 10% increase in salary, while performing the same job. She takes the PMP certification exam in 6 days. She's stressed, but we're both really excited, and her company is reimbursing her for that as well.
I say go for it. The personal satisfaction you'll have having completed it will be worth it, even if it doesn't bring financial rewards.
She did hers all online through University of Baltimore.
I've been through 2 master's programs as a working adult (2 jobs during the process) and about to start on a terminal degree as a personal goal in life and one of the things on my "bucket" list (being the first in my family to earn a phd). I'm fortunate enough to have an employer who covers 100% of all my school costs, many DoD contractors will pay for an advanced degree given an agreement to stay with the company for XX amount of time.
I did notice an immediate salary benefit to the tune of a 15% increase the month after completing my first degree (MBA). When I got my MSLM 3 years later, I received no raise or bonus but I was able to get through that program much faster since several of the MBA courses applied to the MSLM program. I've also gotten the PMP cert and it's nice to have as a resume booster but there are many PMP's out there now and the certification just doesn't hold the same weight it once did. My company recently stopped paying to put people through the PMP course and testing process because it really provided little value that couldn't be achieved through internal training programs that combined program management with corporate practices in business development and contracts management.
I've worked as a DoD contractor for 12 years in the engineering world and if working for federal contractor is the path you choose, try the DAU courses and certifications out there in business and acquisition. They offer both practical benefits as well as compensation benefits. By no means rule out finishing an MBA, but do it for personal benefit with compensation increases as an added plus
my personal opinion is no.. erwos was correct, it requires somewhere in the area of 4k hours of pm experience.. but imho the verfication process is a joke. I've seen people 3-4 years removed from college receive their pmp.. no chance in hell you're accumulating 4k hours of pm qualifying experience in that short time.I've been considering a PMP (already applied and was accepted), but am concerned that after spending yet again more money on classes and the test, it will end up being a waste of time and money.
Is the PMP really that valuable/required? It just seems like anything I could achieve after a 4 day class shouldn't be held as that valuable.
PMP is pretty useful if you're going to do federal contracting. If you can really get it after a 4-day class, more power to you, but, IIRC, it also requires a huge number of hours doing project management.
If you stand to put yourself in a position to advance more rapidly in your current situation or down the road, then yes it is. If PM is an area of interest and you want the knowledgebase to accompany your experience, then yes it is. If you're just doing it because it's there and you want to augment yourself in same fashion, then I would say no. There are other certs one can get that in my opinion are more valuable to the shifting trend in the contracting/consulting world. Everyone's situation is a bit different though. You'd have to weigh the culture at your current employment. I work for one of the big 5 DoD contractors, and I can say with complete certainty that PMP isn't regarded as highly as it once was. And I can also say that it's definitely a geographic thing, because as I travel to other states, there is a corporate push to get PMP's at those locations. But in my home operation location (Northern MD), 40% of the 2k people in our office have the cert.I've already applied for and been accepted. (I've logged all of the required hours of PM experience and the classroom education parts). I just wonder if the 4 day prep class and test is worth $1800.
I'm interested in hearing your thoughts in this area.There are other certs one can get that in my opinion are more valuable to the shifting trend in the contracting/consulting world.
If you stand to put yourself in a position to advance more rapidly in your current situation or down the road, then yes it is. If PM is an area of interest and you want the knowledge base to accompany your experience, then yes it is. If you're just doing it because it's there and you want to augment yourself in same fashion, then I would say no. There are other certs one can get that in my opinion are more valuable to the shifting trend in the contracting/consulting world. Everyone's situation is a bit different though. You'd have to weigh the culture at your current employment. I work for one of the big 5 DoD contractors, and I can say with complete certainty that PMP isn't regarded as highly as it once was. And I can also say that it's definitely a geographic thing, because as I travel to other states, there is a corporate push to get PMP's at those locations. But in my home operation location (Northern MD), 40% of the 2k people in our office have the cert.
However, if you're set on the PMP cert then taking the 4 day class is beneficial to help focus your study habits and thought process towards how the test itself is organized and presented.
I've already applied for and been accepted/cleared to take the test. (I've logged all of the required hours of PM experience and the classroom education parts). So yes, I can literally take a 4 day class, take the test, and get my PMP. I just wonder if the 4 day prep class and test is really worth $1800. It just seems, to me, like people make a MUCH bigger deal out of it than they should.
This is the case, or at least I've heard the same.SOME contracts with the government now call out the PM must have PMP cert. I personally don't buy this - I would rather have a proven PM than a certified one....but you really never know......