PMP Certification Is Not That Good As Marketed

Behind the gorgeous scene you can admire from PMP certification are rigorous facts about it that you have no way but to accept if you’re determined to grasp this credential.

How expensive PMP certification is!

True to say that PMP is a costly exam, totaling $42,500. PMP exam prep costs $2,000, PMP exam fee itself is $500 and maintaining PDUs throughout a 40 -year career takes you $40,000. More specifically, many people that feel not confident enough of their knowledge and skills, or feel somewhat dismayed by 200-question test, or for some reason, take the exam prep courses in the average range of $1500 and and $2000. As with PMP exam fee itself, the cost currently reaches several hundred dollars, ranging from $250 and $600 depending on your membership status and manner of test taking. In maintenance of PMP certification, you must amass 60 Professional Development Units (PDU) each three years. There’re lots of ways to attain those PDUs – for example, enrolling in classes, participating in PMI conferences, self study, etc. Commonly, 1 PDU is equal to an hour of education or participation. Some can earn them for free through free podcasts, webinars, training, self-study, volunteering or being employed as a project manager; yet, for the most part, you need to spend from $25 to $100’s per PDU. It may be very expensive at least $100 if you attend PMI conferences at global or regional level. To add it up, 60 PDUs within 3 years are estimated to cost you around $3000 although if you’re a good planner, it doesn’t cost that much.

Lots of time input for PMP exam prep

Preparing for PMP exam is time consuming – just not expensive, even more tedious than affording the cost (in my opinion). It is considered the time you take to apply and learn for the exam itself.

PMP application audit process alone may take you lots of time. Candidates are required to document all their education and experience around project management. Experience must be documented by process level – for instance, how many hours did you take to develop a work breakdown structure? How many hours did you use to implement project tasks?

Your hours dedicated to exam study are also a long story. It’s common knowledge that PMP calls for lots of study for 4-hour 200-question PMP exam. The PMBOK® Guide (Project Management Body of Knowledge) is a heavy material with almost 600 pages. Then PMP aspirants are required to spend lots of time working out this thick reference. The matter is that it’s simply a standard only with insight of project management framework, thus knowledge needed for the exam cannot be attained just by studying the PMBOK® Guide. To have your brain, heart and courage fully prepared, you often need put in more time on PMP exam study materials like books, sample questions, etc. So what’s a specific number for PMP study time? According to an online survey conducted by PMP® Exam Lessons Learned site polling 100 PMPs who passed PMP exam with flying colors pertaining to the time needed for their PMP exam preparation. The result is just interesting:

A majority of PMP (about 33%) used 2 months while only 8% or so spent 1 month or fewer. Notably, up to 20% among them required 6 months or more to wrap up their PMP study. That long period may be because they don’t perpetually gear up for the study, or there’re lots of other things for them to put in thoughts, time and efforts. In fact, it’s hard for them to spare lots of time with this exam given their hectic schedules. For the most part, a period of around 3 months with 3 study hours each day is the average time you should invest in for PMP credential. It’s equal to about 180 hours of exam studies.

You know, passing the exam and holding PMP certification is not the end to your involvement in this challenging exam. As said above, PMPs are required to attain at least 60 PDUs every 3 years as for PMP recertification. Then you require at least 65 hours during the 3-year cycle for PDU collection, recording and reporting. Fortunately, that’s not a large amount.

All in all, PMP preparation asks you for a handsome investment of time beside money. That’s why you would rather check your time and cost budget as well as your actual hope for your career before taking the plunge.

PMI’s framework is one among many frameworks outside

Successfully going through the PMP exam doesn’t necessarily mean that you excel in each and every faces of project management. It rather means that you have passed an exam about one framework: PMI’s project management framework based on single publication of PMBOK. Other popular frameworks these days (ex. ITIL, Agile, Prince2) are not presented by PMI’s framework. Plus, not few people think that PMI’s framework is a little bit old fashioned when PMI’s processes are a best fit for projects employing waterfall development methods, which isn’t popular today as its flourishing past.

Getting PMP certified isn’t really signature for great project managers

By passing the PMP exam, you have proved that you have certain project management education and experience, and you have passed a challenging exam pursuant to PMI’s project management framework. It doesn’t mean that you’re a good project manager or the projects that you have ever led have been a big hit. In fact, you can suffer a series of project failure that earns your trademark as a worst project manager, and you can still hold the PMP certification. Also, PMP credential isn’t your sure ticket pass as a good project manager or the absolute best success for your project. Instead, hard work is another name of miracle. It’s your long accumulation from real life experience, endless willingness to learn that outshine your competencies and bolster other people’s credit to you. Otherwise, none of positive result, ranges of average projects just earn you bad mouths from others and their unchanged opinion of you.

PMP certification can kill your marketability

As popular as it it, you can lose an expected position in the flourishing market. Certification isn’t an undeniable confirmation for your being a great project manager. Alternatively, they certify that you grasp the standard of knowledge and skills to get the job done. If you’re hasty to be satisfied with that certification achievement and make no move regarding skill-up, experience accumulation, and alike, you may be not only one step but also more steps behind others. Another way, there won’t be more market demand for your less passionate heart and unfulfilled brain regardless of the increasing demand for project managers.

You won’t instantly boost confidence

Some say that they’re more confident after gaining a prestige certification. That may be true, but I cannot agree absolutely. None of certification in this big world will give you long lasting increase of confidence and self-esteem. You’re experienced and skilled enough not to feel scared out of any challenge facing you, that’s when you’re truly self-confident. On a brighter note, I must admit that becoming PMP certified earn you lots of standard knowledge and skills, allowing your being waya peacefully minded to manage projects and confront storms ahead.

You won’t be better paid

Many believe that being a PMP will be killer way to get higher pay. Not really! As I mentioned above, getting PMP certificate means you seize certain standard for conducting project management. If you have earned this certification at the proper time of your career that is 3-5 years of project managing experience, then opportunities are that you picked up something new and powerful along the way to certification. Novel knowledge and skill will help you with successful project wrap and may get you improved performance reviews, which obviously might mean a better earning. Still, this won’t happen one night, but will challenge your persistence, patience, rather, take you some time, and you will have to enhance your performance as project management for real. What your employer want to see is the final results, your actual performance and tangible enhancement rather than a paper or hollow words about your achievement. If you cannot pull off what and how you can do, no boss in the world will raise your salary just because you are certified PMP. If any, may be the employer is super biased towards certifications and you’re truly a genius.

If you have gained the certification in the wrong time of your career, after over 5 years of experience in the field, then you may already grasp the standard. And let’s see, there won’t be any visible gain in your project management as you didn’t really attain knowledge. And your income will stay still.

On the pink-tinted side, what may happen is that your enterprise will cover your certification costs, some may burden your exam fee, others will generously pay for your PMP exam training. If so, then don’t wait to go for it at all costs, and do it just at the right time (3-5 years in the field) to optimize your gain.

PMP certification isn’t S’more pudding cake

There’s an amazing cake called Some more. That means if you eat one, you will want more and more because it’s just so yummy. Unluckily, PMP certification isn’t that kinda heart melting cake. It features a minimum proficient level in traditional project management to employers and project’s customers. However, the employers and customers expect more than minimums

PMP exam study stress cannot be on the same level as work stress

PMP is often praised for bearing steel-spirit PMPs as a result of stress they suffer in preparation for the rigorous exam and during the 4-hour exam of up to hundreds of questions. Yet, actual work isn’t that stressful but more stressful. Actually, the real world is more different and tedious.

PMPs will earn haters

PMPs are viewed as arrogant in the eyes of some employers and group members. In one conversation with a FMCG PMO executive, Andrew R. (Agile Project Manager at yellow tail software) was told that most certified PMPs are high-handed. Personally, I think it’s only arrogance when you cannot reflect the certification halo through you actual performance and results. Self-confidence may be misinterpreted as arrogance at times, but you can change others’ opinion and earn their trust if you consistently pour out your heart. The successful projects will get them speechless and make them eat up all their previous bad words.