I know you're a PMP. I would like to become certified too...

[John]

Why do I want to be certified? Well I like project management.  I want to develop it into a career.  But before this year, I was a lead developer, not a manager of projects.  So I think becoming certified will help prepare me for the role. I also heard that being certified means more money in my paycheck.

[Michael]

To qualify to even sit for the PMP exam, you'll need lots of actual project management experience.

Now I know you're a college graduate, so you'll need 4,500 hours of actual experience in project management where you are leading and directing project tasks.

There are other, more specific requirements for your project management experience.

You should visit the Project Management Institute website to find out more.

You can even apply for the exam online!

I read another website regularly; Information Age is an online magazine that has good articles on project management certification.

[John]

So I can't become certified because I don't have enough project management experience?

[Michael]

John, you didn't let me finish. You don't have enough experience to become a PMP, but I haven't told you about the CAPM certification yet.

This is important to you. What is the CAPM certification? CAPM stands for Certified Associate in Project Management.

A CAPM is a certification you are qualified to get.  You are a college graduate.  (CAPM requires an Associate's degree or equivalent). And, you've been a lead developer for a few years already, so the 1,500 hours of work experience on project teams is more than satisfied. What remains is the requirement for project management education.

To sit for the CAPM certification exam, you need 23 contact hours of formal project management education. A contact hour represents an hour of scheduled instruction.

[John]

How do I get this education? Is it expensive?

[Michael]

There are lots of ways.  You may have some of these hours already.

You'll have to look at the courses you've taken in college and since you've been working to determine if they qualify as education in project management.More importantly though, you need to be prepared to take the exam.

Your contact hours can also be obtained by taking preparation classes. For example, PMI Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s) have specialized programs to give the necessary education, hours, and preparation for you to pass the exam.

The exam is not easy, but the majority of people who utilize an R.E.P. to prepare for the exam have a much better chance of passing.

I used an online R.E.P. called PMCAMPUS.com which helped a lot to focus my study and prepare for my exam. It is not expensive and the convenience of studying online is hard to beat too.

[John]

The CAPM certification sounds perfect for me. What should I do to get started?

[Michael]

I mentioned the PMI website http://www.pmi.org PMI has everything you need to get started.

You will need to complete the application.  You can do it on paper, but doing it online is so much easier.
The application takes time and may take several sessions to finish.  (You can save your work and come back to it later). 

After PMI approves your application, you need to pay for the exam and schedule it.
There are Prometric testing centers all over the place.  I'm sure there is one not far from where you live.

[John]

That sounds great.  I'm going to get started on it right away. But what about the PMP certification?

[Michael]

Once you get your CAPM certification, you'll be better in your new role as project manager because you had formal education. This education will help you structure and apply project management best practices to your current project, and your future projects.

You'll be better in your job with your CAPM.

And, because you'll be better at it, you'll get better projects, and gain the experience you'll need to sit for the PMP exam once you have the necessary 4,500 hours. I can't say you'll definitely make more money with the CAPM, but consider this. You'll have a certification and your projects will be more successful.

I think it's fair to say this will reflect favorably for you at your annual reviews!