My Road to the PMP

I decided to be industrious while unemployed and obtain my PMP certification.  I figured I had the time to take a crash course, focus on studying, and then I'd take the test.  Needless to say the best laid plans often go awry.  I should start out by saying that I set out to get my PMP in April.  It is now July and I still have not achieved my certificate for no lack of trying on my part.  As this process unfolds, I am becoming more and more disillusioned with professional certifications and if it wasn't for the money I've already invested I would probably walk away.

My journey started by enrolling in a PMP exam prep course which is really a four day boot camp where they teach you how to stop thinking like a project management professional and how to spot the tricks in the test.  If you have never taken a certification test before, this course is well worth the time and investment.  The test is nothing like any standardized test you've taken before with questions asking you which answer is the least incorrect.  Huh?  The course I took provided us with a binder and instructions to read the PMBOK if you have time (that would require a much longer stint of unemployment), but to focus on the material in the binder for the test.  At the end of the course you take an in-class practice test which tells you if you are ready to go sit for the real thing.  I scored a 73% so I knew I needed to do a bit more studying, but figured I could get my practice scores up to an 85% in about a week so off I went to complete the next step.

Cost:  $1,895

The next step in the process is to fill out a lengthy application online and pay for the opportunity to schedule a test.  It took me around an hour and a half to fill out the many pages of forms and submit my application.  They ask you to document your education history, 35 hours of course work (which the boot camp course satisfies), and 4,500 hours of project management experience.  You have to detail the experience hours on a project by project basis breaking hours out into the five process areas with a description of the work you did in each area.   Needless to say a little guesstimating was called for, but I documented my experience and was ready to submit my application.  You get a bit of a discount if you become a PMI member so I went ahead and signed up for that too.

Cost:  $139 PMI membership, $405 exam fee

And then I get slapped with an audit.  I think it is a bit shady to make you pay for everything up front before telling you if you were chosen for an audit primarily because if you fail the audit, you lose most of your money and have to re-apply and pay if you want to try again.  The audit consists of getting people to vouch for your work by filling out a form, signing it, putting it into an envelope, signing the seal, and sending the whole package back to you.  I had two great people who returned their paperwork immediately, but I also had one person who just wouldn't respond.  After two months of attempting to get the last person to sign off I had to find an alternate who could vouch for my work and get them to fill out the paperwork.  In addition to my experience, I also had to provide proof that I did indeed obtain the college degree I claimed and completed the 35 hours of course work.  Like a lot of people I have no idea where my diploma is so I had to pay for a copy of my transcript to satisfy the proof of education.

Cost:  $9 school transcript

Two months after starting this process, I have finally been approved to schedule my exam.  Of course I have forgotten everything that they taught in the exam prep course so that money was wasted.  I am also outside the guarantee offered by the course so if I fail, I do not get to re-take the test for free.  Next steps are to figure out when I am going to have time to study and get the exam scheduled.   Of course, the site appears to be down this morning so I am not even able to locate a test center.  Figures.

Total Cost:  $2,448 and months of headache

Bottom line, they have me for too much money to walk away, but this entire experience has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Professional certifications are a must have when competing for jobs in Europe, but their value is debated in the Seattle tech market.  The process is geared towards PMI making money and not necessarily on improving the skills of project management professionals.  I hope to pass my test and finally get those hard fought letters after my name in the next couple of months.  It looks like actually scheduling the exam is going to be yet another man-eating pothole along the road, but I continue to push on.

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