Even if your current position does not require project management, the PMP certification will help you develop your career. There is a prevalent fallacy that to qualify for the PMP certification, you must be a project manager or, at the very least, be involved in the project in some capacity. This article is intended to debunk this misconception and aid you in obtaining that certification even if you do not come from a project background.

Most occupations involve at least one of the five phases: initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. Thus, you can participate in PMP training to gain these fundamental and vital project management skills. 

Prerequisites for Qualifying Based on Educational Qualifications

To be able to take the PMP  certification exam, you must first satisfy the eligibility criteria. The PMP Certification Eligibility is based on the educational background you have. If your most recent educational achievement is a bachelor’s or higher, you must be able to demonstrate a minimum of three years of working experience. Of that, a minimum of 4500 hours must be allocated to work on projects. In addition, you will need 35 contact hours which can be earned through classroom training or by registering as an Education Provider Registered (REP).

If your prior educational qualification is comparable to a high school diploma or an equivalent degree, you must have at least five years of professional experience. At least 7500 hours or more must be committed to projects.

PMI does not require that you formally participate in a project to gain the 4500-7500 hour experience. You must deal with the various aspects of task management, even if you operate in a non-project-related field.

Components of Project Management in a Non-Project Setting

Let’s look at this with an example. Assuming you’re a solely IT-related operations specialist, your typical workday would look like this:

 

• Business strategy
• Resource allocation planning
• Cost reduction
• Use of Lean Six Sigma
• New employees are being trained.
• Comparison analysis
• Preparing for the upcoming fiscal year
• Process enhancement
• Automation of quality planning
• Investigation of the core cause of significant deviations, among other things.

 

The good news is that the time you spend on these duties may be documented as project experience, enhancing your chances of passing the PMP test. All you have to do is assign these activities to the relevant categories in the five stages of project management. For this, you can refer to quality Project Management guides like the PMBoK or Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep books. The lucid examples in these books can make this bifurcation much simpler.

 

Before the exam, PMI does not check each applicant’s qualifications. PMI picks 20% of all applications submitted randomly and then reviews the remaining 20. When your application is picked for an audit, you must provide your educational certificates and demonstrate your project experience. In case of errors, it would be best to be certified by an individual involved in the project or within the scope of work.

 

Professional Advancement With PMP for Individuals Who Are Not Project Managers

 

Even in non-project settings, a PMP Certification may ensure healthy professional progress. PMP training can help you talk in a style your clients and team members understand. It also helps you identify critical parts of your profession, such as the best use of resources and managing dangers and restrictions. PMP interview questions and answers may provide an in-depth understanding. 

 

People from IT could also opt for other certifications offered by PMI, like the disciplined agile accreditations spanning various levels. You can advance your career with a PMP or other Agile Certification like the DASSM, which requires similar experiential criteria.

Job Opportunities for PMP Certified Professionals

Analysts predict roughly 15.7 million project management jobs will be available in 2023. Banking, Manufacturing, IT, Construction, and ONG have seen a 37 percent growth due to project-intensive businesses.

PMPs with qualifications may make up to $109,405 on average. “Will PMP certification assist the capacity to find a job with a decent salary?” is often asked professional queries. PMP certification is a huge asset for both applicants and recruiters. Many candidates have begun to take PMP certification courses, indicating that they understand the importance of these credentials and that recruiters would prefer their qualifications over persons without them.

PMP is one of the best certifications you can earn, regardless of your career or professional history. PMP is still a popular choice among professionals because of its reputation as high-paying employment. Women of any gender who have earned the PMP certification earn more than women who have earned other certifications.

Because the method used to manage projects is susceptible to constant revisions, every organization generating projects should employ traditional and formal methods to project management to be followed. Furthermore, the number of initiatives, large and small, is increasing daily. Because of these two considerations, there will be a significant demand for these specialists in the employment market.

Conclusion:

Consider the past work experience, which holds good for the definition of the project “a temporary endeavor was undertaken to create a unique product or service.” Keep track of your work with a specific deliverable and deadline. As mentioned above, the project management experience need not be paid work. You can take up volunteering projects to get PM experience in any of the five project management processes. Create opportunities to lead the project by taking up other project management courses. Certified Associate Project Management Certification (CAPM) is one of the best project management certifications. CAPM certification will help you to understand the fundamentals of the PMBOK Guide.