Do you really need a project management certification?

There are numerous project management certifications available today and earlier on in my career, I heard that they were the only way to really succeed as an IT professional.

But do you really need a project management certification?

That really depends on what your career goals are, if you want to advance your IT career and become an IT Project Manager, yes they then can be helpful.

They can also be helpful if the certification is really valued in your organization and getting it would open up more career opportunities.

But if you just want to get it to add to your resume, then it might not be worth the time, cost or effort.

Project management certifications are expensive, time consuming and difficult to maintain.

You would have to attend training, study, apply for the exam, pass the exam and maintain your certifications by gathering the relevant project management trainings and experience.

So if you want to start this certification path, you have to take a close look at what it entails and make an informed decision on what is required.

What are the different types of Project Management certifications ?

There are numerous project management certifications available today but the most popular ones are offered PMI and Axelos.

PMI (Project Management Institute), offers 2 main project managements certifications which are PMP and CAPM.

While Axelos which is a joint company owned by the UK government and Capita, offers 3 PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) certifications which are PRINCE2 Foundation, PRINCE2 Practioner and PRINCE2 Agile.

What is the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification ?

The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is an examination written by Project Managers to prove their knowledge and experience in the field of project management.

To apply for this certification, you would need to fulfill the following requirements :

  1. Have a four-year college degree.
  2. Have 3 years (36 months) experience in leading projects.
  3. Get 35 hours of project management education/training from a certified trainer or have a valid CAPM® Certification.

If you don’t have the required college degree, then you can also apply if you have the following:

  1. Have a high school diploma or an associate’s degree (or global equivalent).
  2. Have 5 years (60 months) experience in leading projects.
  3. Get 35 hours of project management education/training from a certified trainer or have a valid CAPM® Certification.

What is the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification ?

While PMP is the most popular project management exam that PMI offers, they also offer the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification, which is meant for professionals that want to improve their project management knowledge and experience.

To apply for this certification, you would need to fulfill the following requirements :

  1. Have a high school diploma or an associate’s degree (or global equivalent).
  2. Get 23 hours of project management education/training from a certified trainer.

What are PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) certifications ?

The Projects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) is a project management methodology that provides project management knowledge and guidelines.

The PRINCE2 certifications provide the skills and knowledge that are used to successfully manage projects of any size or complexity.

The training and certification consists of two levels, which are:

  1. PRINCE2 Foundation: the PRINCE2 Foundation provides the basic knowledge of how to plan, manage and deliver projects. The Foundation level certification is a prerequisite for the other Practitioner certifications.
  2. PRINCE2 Practitioner: the PRINCE2 Practitioner provides additional knowledge and skills that project managers would need to successfully manage projects.
  3. PRINCE2 Agile: PRINCE2 Agile provides additional knowledge and skills that project managers would need to successfully manage projects using the Agile delivery methodology.