What is PMP Certification
A lot of project managers may have heard of the PMP certification and think that it is the best and only project management certification available. Whether the PMP certification is the best credential for project managers or not isn’t the purpose of this article. What we will be discussing in though is the top certifications a project manager can get and the differences between each one. There is no best one, as that opinion is entirely subject and depends on who you ask, but there certain ones that are the most well known to employers and companies around the world.
The Project Management Professional certification is the one of the most popular and prestigious credential a project manager can hold. There are over 350,000 Project Management Professionals in the world and hundreds more receive this certification each year. This credential is intended for skilled project manager with years of experience who would like to complement their skills with a formal certificate. A lot of companies require that applicants for project manager positions carry this credential as it has become the standard companies use to judge by all over the globe.
The other project management certification my PMI is the CAPM credential. This is a certification for new college graduates who have little or no project management experience but would like to pursue a project management position in their career. College graduates are advised to apply for this certificate before they attempt to take the PMP. Although this credential is relatively new, a lot of companies are starting to appreciate it more and more and are giving it a lot more value than before.
Another certification for project managers is the APMC (Advanced Project Management Certification). This certification is by far the most expensive to receive and is not as well known as either the PMP or the CAPM but is slowly gaining popularity. The Institute of Learning, describes this certification as a credential for senior level project managers and executives who would like to cement their project management skills and PMP status.
The American Academy of Project Managers offers the Master Project Manager (MPM) certification which is another credential intended to strengthen your knowledge of the fundamental skills and concepts of project management.
There are many other project management certifications but the ones listed above are probably the only ones worth paying/studying for. Having one of the above listed on your resume may be pretty helpful, but I doubt that holding every single certification that exists is very useful.
A certification that lets you add three letters to your business card is nice, but remember that practical work experience will always be worth a lot more. And with an organizational leadership masters degree you can gain many of the skills needed to be an outstanding project manager.