I'm in civilian employment transition. In your opinion, is a CAPM designation worth the time and expense to pursue?

SGT Dave Tracy — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 10:51:34 -0500

I just got my MBA, and am looking to move into a corporate strategy, project management or perhaps a consulting role. I would like to earn a Project Management certificate, and found a company authorized to provide the required training currently offering a discount to veterans, but I cannot prove I had enough project management hours to satisfy the requirement for a PMP designation (it was more than a decade ago I was a project manager, and the company went out of business years ago). Therefore, once I do the coursework, I would be eligible to test for and earn the CAPM designation as it doesn't have the same work hour requirements. For those in the know, what do you think about the CAPM designation?

Response by PO1 James Mason made Nov 6 at 2019 11:50 AM

PO1 James Mason — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 11:50:50 -0500

CAPM is pretty basic. If you need the training look at the onward to opportunity program. It’s free to vets and they’ll pay for the test.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 6 at 2019 11:56 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 11:56:12 -0500

Sgt Tracy,

The CAPM cert is a good foundation to earn you some credibility in the field, I was passed over positions for guys with less education than me (MBA) at the time. It all depends who your competition will be for lending a job. As a hiring manager if I saw two similar applications, with the only difference being one candidate having a PMP or Prince2 and a candidate having a CAPM I would “almost always” choose the first candidate due to the certification. I found an article dated back to 2018, I hope it can share some insight for you.

https://www.whizlabs.com/blog/is-capm-certification-worth-investment/

Is CAPM Certification Worth Investment? - Whizlabs Blog

Thinking to invest in a certification but in a dilemma, if CAPM certification is worth getting? If so, read on this article to get the answer!

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 6 at 2019 12:27 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 12:27:36 -0500

As a certified PMP with PMI-ACP and ITIL certification, I would consider taking ITIL certification first, then as you rebuild your project experience, pursue the PMP. ITIL is an international service based certification that is viewed commensurate with PMP. It is a preferred to required certificate in the UK but won't hurt you in the US. Your project experience can be verified by co-workers as well as managers, even if the company has closed. However, you have a time limit on how long ago this experience was acquired. You may consider any of your volunteer work and regular job duties qualify (what people don't consider to be project based does count). If you are currently employed, look into the accomplishments you have achieved on the job and consider writing them up as projects. You could be the consultant (SME), business analyst, PM or any of the accepted roles to gain project experience. Your MBA helps reduce the number of years required and if you can get someone to pay for the test preparation and test, do it.

I have retained my PMP for 20 years and once Agile became the new buzzword for managing projects, I added PMI-ACP certification. If you need a mentor, feel free to reach out to me and I will do my best to guide you.

Response by SPC David S. made Nov 6 at 2019 1:09 PM

SPC David S. — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:09:36 -0500

I would say if this helps to get you closer to a PMP certification then by all means pursue it. I would be realistic in expectations as certifications do not magically open up opportunities. I found that out with my MBA - its more like a force amplifier of your work experience.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 8 at 2019 12:39 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 12:39:33 -0500

Nice set of credentials you've built. Considered six sigma or other additional process improvement schemas for consulting?

Response by 1SG John V. made Nov 13 at 2019 3:21 PM

1SG John V. — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 15:21:49 -0500

I’m not familiar with this certification. However, anything you can do to set you apart is a good thing.