+1 to the others disagreeing with the post you stumbled across.
I do agree with the approach that going through the PMP exam prep process does give you a framework, a useful way to structure the way you work.
Not al the tools, techniques and documents will be relevant or used by each PM in every project.
That is why being a PM is both an art and a science. There is so much flexibility that is needed in managing this role, and that is what makes it so interesting!

That said, the PMP certification has personally opened up career doors, more than the actual learning from it has.
You must have come across the term "signaling effect" - the PMP certification is a great example of this.
Anyone who has this credential is "signaling" that they are serious about this line of work being their career, they have put in the effort, time and yes money, into securing this certification, as well as the effort that goes in maintaining the certification.
Yes, it is a powerful indicator.

Hey Eidriana

I would say there are a ton of benefits in having your PMP certification. I won’t bore you with the google results haha, but I will give you how the certification has benefited me in my career path as a PM.

The PMBOK 6th edition is a massive resource, and it has a lot of material inside of it. Some of the information does benefit anybody across business practices. Conflict resolution, effective forms of leadership, etc are cross applicable and will be used no matter where you go career wise.

Other, more specific, topics like stakeholder and schedule management can also be considered useful in a business setting. In all, the PMP and PMBOK is an applicable resource to your day to day across various careers but REALLY pays dividends for project specific or teams based work.

My career requires the PMP for advancement to Senior level Project Managers, without it, you essentially get stone walled at a promotion tier until you obtain it.

I immediately was awarded a 10% raise by my company upon completion of the exam (before promotion). Now that is a little subjective, but I mention it as my company saw the value in the certification and wanted me to be compensated for the work I put in to obtain the award.

As it relates to respect I think the PMP is the cherry on top for anybody who is in a PM roll. The moment I was able to relay I am a PMP customers immediately became at ease and allowed me to guide their projects with limited pushback. Before my certification, my certified boss would constantly have to let customers know that he is a certified Project management professional before they would trust our project approach or recommendations. People usually submit to external expertise and the PMP, I feel, identifies such expertise on a project basis.

Good luck and wishing you the best on your journey!

Eidriana,

I have seen a lot of the criticisms also, but I find them to be silly. Their criticisms is that it doesn't teach the exact technical skills they're using at their organization. It would be very difficult to have a single certification which covers all organizations processes.

Most people seem not to understand what the PMP represents. It's less about exact technical skills needed in any specific organization or industry and more focused on a certification of experience, theory, and the willingness to learn.

If you're wondering if it's worth it, try searching things along the lines of "most valuable certification". Also, look up if there is any pay bump in people with the certificate.

Kevin,

As a point of clarification, Eidriana didn't create the "PMP's a joke" post. She saw it on the board. That post, four years ago, was created by a user "RaidanZ" and seemed a bit disgruntled by life in general.

H

Hi Eidriana

So that you know, I disagree with the conclusion of the post you mentioned on the PM-PrepCast website forum regarding the PMP being considered a joke. However, one thing you should keep in mind is that the PMBOK Guide contains guidelines for use on 'most projects, most of the time'. You always have to tailor these guidelines to your specific project scenario. The following are some general benefits of obtaining your PMP credential.
- An additional 28 million project managers are estimated to be needed globally by the end of 2029.
- The PMBOK Guide 7th Edition contains the best practices and principles used in Predictive, adaptive, and Hybrid product development approaches, making it pertinent to any type of project in any industry.
- The PMP Credential is currently the most widely recognized project management certification on the planet.

Still not convinced? As far as the value of obtaining your PMP, here are some statistics from PMI’s 13th edition of the biennial report Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey, which was released in 2023.
- The median salary for project management professionals in the United States is $120,000.
- PMP® certified professionals, on average, earn 33% more in median salary than those without the certification. Note: The relationship between PMP tenure (which is precisely correlated to years of experience) and salary is also a factor.
Survey respondents indicated that obtaining a PMP certification has been extremely valuable to their career advancement and has significantly contributed to salary growth.

I hope this information gives you the tools to make an informed decision about getting your PMP credential.

Happy Studying!

Professor Kevin

Good morning, Eidriana

I can only speak from my personal experience. I am not a professional project manager, but I am a consultant that must manage projects professionally. Going through the certification process helped me understand project management from as a structured art rather than a haphazard guess. That has helped me, and my company organize and execute client projects in a cogent, straightforward and no-nonsense approach. Projects run much smoother and communication with the client has improved remarkably.

I cannot attest that obtaining my PMP certification has put a single dollar into my company's pocket, but it has helped me work with clients in a much more structured fashion and projects run much more smoothly. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Ultimately, only you can make that decision, but I will quote my English Literature professor from 1981: "No education of any kind is ever wasted."

Good luck!