First of all thanks to all of the well wishers on my (and my wife’s) new little girl. We’re so excited I can’t even tell you.

Now back to the topic at hand, education of course. I posted a few days ago that I was going to study for my PMP starting in the next week or so. I had a reader question since then as to why I need a PMP if I am already going to have an emphasis in Project Management in my MSMIS program. Good question, but the answer is a little convoluted. See the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI) is an industry standard credential in project management. It is different than a degree in that project management attracts people of varying backgrounds, skill types and industries and is more of a taught methodology. The certification isn’t so much a credential based upon research and study but of applied skill and knowledge, to be built upon work related experience. You cannot sit for the test without years of prior experience, in my case a BS degree and 3 years of experience. Without a degree I think the minimum is 5 years.

I desire the credential for a simple and selfish reason; the project managers and general managers at my organization are all PMPs. It’s certainly not the only reason these people were promoted but it does seem to be a part of the weeding out process. Being that I am in a new career and with a new daughter, etc. I am definitely going to try and get to that next rung on the ladder. I would like more deference in my job, greater independence and of course, more money. So there you have it in a nutshell.