To PMP or Not to PMP? That Is the Question.
Matt McCarthy
Business Transformation Coach/Consultant for Values-driven Companies | Specializing in Digital Operations and Service Delivery | Available for Speaking Engagements
Many of us seasoned Project Managers, particularly those who have taken the step to become certified, get the question: “Should I get certified?”
My answer is, as always, “It depends.”
Before you start booing and hissing, bear with me, and I’ll explain why it depends and in which situations certifications make the most sense.
The PMP is a very well-known certification in Project Management, hence the reason I included it in the title. (That, and the play on the famous line from Hamlet…) For certain roles and goals, however, some certifications make more sense than others. So, let’s broaden the conversation to discuss certifications in general. I’ll narrow it down for a couple of situations and examples, though.
When Certification Makes Sense
As I eluded to above, certification makes more sense in certain situations. It’s important to look at your circumstances to see how this applies to you.
Goals
Let’s knock out the obvious situations first. You’ve worked as a Project Manager for 20 years, and are getting ready to retire or move to a completely different occupation. A PM certification is probably not for you. Or, you’ve been a PM for a few years, Project Management is near and dear to your heart, and your dream job is directing a PMO. You’re probably a great candidate to work toward a certification.
Most of us are somewhere between those two situations, so let’s look at the goal attributes that can help you decide.
New Job or Promotion – If you are interested in getting a different position either within or outside your current organization, certification is often a good way to become more attractive on paper if it makes sense for your desired role.
Career Track – If you plan to stay in Project Management for the foreseeable future, and the certification makes sense for your current and future roles, certification can be a good move so that when you start chasing that next position, you’re already set.
Knowledge Gain – The favorite of the issuing organizations for obvious reasons, knowledge gain is a good reason to pursue a certification. You may already be very knowledgeable in the area you wish to be certified (or you may not), but studying for the certification can help round out your knowledge and fill in any gaps.
Roles
Here’s where certification can get a little murky. If all the roles are Project Management, why is this even a factor?
Yet, if you’ve been around Project Management for a while or have been job hunting recently, not all Project Management roles are the same. Certain PM roles call for more emphasis on some PM skills than others. Some PM roles are PM-slash roles, such as PM/consultant, PM/analyst, PM/salesperson. You may see some jobs categorized as Project Management that are clearly anything but.
So, how do you choose?
Job Postings – Review job postings that are most similar to what you currently do or what you want to do. How many have a certification as a required or nice-to-have attribute? Don’t stop at 5 or 10 postings – give yourself a good-sized sample.
Organizations – Some organizations see more value than others in certifications. Generally, well-established PMOs, software development shops, large construction companies, and similar organizations prefer certifications, as it gives them some sense of standardization when hiring. Start-ups, smaller companies, and organizations with few PMs on staff tend to not place much emphasis. Again, review job postings, but ask your current manager or observe what others in your organization have done.
Precision vs. Creativity vs. Speed – When working with precision-oriented projects, methodologies that are typically certified tend to win the day. When working on quick-and-dirty execution or projects that are creative and a less defined pattern or outcome, certifications are typically less requested.
Proportion of PM in Your Role – Those performing primarily other functions in their role may not need certification. Examples would be analysts, consultants, operations managers, with a small dose of project management.
Capabilities – All of us reading this article are capable in some way. The considerations here are more related to learning style. Those who learn predominantly by doing and don’t excel in learning by reading may still be tremendous Project Managers but may struggle with exam preparation. Similarly, those who struggle heavily with tests may find that actually becoming certified is not the best approach. That being said, I’m all for elevating your life via challenging yourself, so take this point with a grain of salt.
Style – Some Project Managers just don’t thrive using rigorous methodologies, relying on the basics and a good dose of well-informed intuition to get projects done on time, on budget, and at quality. This may seem like heresy to some, but I’ve seen it work very well in some situations.
Choosing the Right Certification
Wouldn’t it be ideal if an article could give you a perfect formula, ideally tailored to your unique skills, personality, and situation? It can’t.
That being said, here are some guidelines.
Acceptance – Some certifications are more widely accepted than others. That doesn’t mean better, except when the certification becomes a requirement or selling point in the job hunting arena. (Once certifications hit a tipping point, they enter something of a feedback loop or virtuous cycle. More become certified, so more employers require the certification, so more become certified, and so on.)
Relevance – Those with no interest or role in Agile don’t need to spend time pursuing an Agile-related certification. Some certifications are more widely used in certain types of organizations, geographies, or roles than others. Use the job posting research I mentioned above to hone in on certifications that make the most sense for your situation.
Be Careful With Entry-level Certifications – In some cases, entry-level certifications are a good gateway or selling point if you are just trying to get established as a PM. In many cases, though, they are launched solely to provide an additional revenue stream for the certifying organization, or are just not widely recognized as useful. Again, do your research to see who is requiring or recommending a certification you are interested in.
Lifelong Learning
One final note: This article is just about whether to go through a certification process. On the other hand, I am a huge advocate of lifelong learning for everyone. Learn more about your craft, and about things completely unrelated to your work, through any means that work for you. Traditional school, books, podcasts, classes, videos, or just trying things out – all are very beneficial no matter who you are.
Quality and Process Improvement Leader, Change Consultant, Project Manager, Scrum Master, and Chair of ASQ Software Division (2024-2025)
5 年A certification is a recognition of a certain minimum level of knowledge - and ability to apply that knowledge - in a given subject area. See also Bloom's Taxonomy. Matt - While this question has been beaten thoroughly across the web and in print, you've captured the key concerns. Do you need a certification to be on the top half of the candidate pool? Is it personally important to you as a learning achievement? Are you going for it just to see if you know as much as you think you know (see above statement)? It's also very important to be aware of the fact that all certification exams have a passing threshold. In most cases, you can pass the exam without necessarily demonstrating expertise in all of the areas tested. The PMP is no exception. Ask a few people who have achieved the PMP what it felt like to go from the elation of first seeing the pass result then the following reality check when reading the detailed exam analysis. Lastly, people need to understand that passing the exam is not the end of the road. Most professional certifications and licensure require continuing education (CEUs, RUs, PDUs) on either an annual basis or by multi-year renewal term. And over time the body of knowledge (BoK) upon which the cert or license is based will be updated and revised to keep it current with respect to its field. Regards, Greg