Why pursue PMP certification? There are several motivating factors:
• Employer's preference
• Greater pay
• Necessary or advantageous in job listings
• Personal and professional satisfaction
Let's examine each of these individually. Who do you think the hiring manager will choose between Candidate A with 10 years of experience and Candidate B with 10 years of experience and certification? Whom would you pick? Because, according to PMI, "providing and promoting a common vocabulary," PMP certification at the very least demonstrates a level of commitment to the profession. 4 This is essential for businesses that manage numerous mission-critical projects with project managers who must coordinate global communications.
PMI Salary Survey
The second justification for becoming certified is the simple fact that it will raise your salary over time. Proof? Project managers are periodically surveyed about their salaries across the globe by PMI. The most recent one, conducted in 2013, polled more than 36,000 project managers across 33 nations. There is a lot of information presented in various ways (number of years as project manager, by industry, by department, etc). But let's look at what most interests us here: a result of having PMP Certification
The median annual salary in the US for those without PMP certification is $91,500. The average annual salary for those who do is $110,000. Therefore, obtaining certification alone results in a salary increase of about 20%. The report goes on to say that the salary increases with the duration of the credential. A careful reading of the report reveals that PMP credential holders earn more than those who don't, even though annualized salaries around the world aren't necessarily comparable to those in the United States. In any case, there is a significant salary incentive. ( It's not a bad idea to consider pursuing a project management degree at a university. But the median US salary for that is $107,250, still less than a PMP certification holder).
The third reason is simply because a cursory search through a job board such as Dice shows that most project manager jobs either "require" or "strongly prefer" candidates with a PMP certification. This requirement may be coming from the hiring manager or it may be coming from HR. Or both. Does it matter? The market has spoken. So as noted above, this certification will at least get you in the door and perhaps move you from the "do not consider" pile to the "consider" pile. Speaking of Dice, a survey6 they recently performed listed the PMP credential as number one. In the six-month span studied, job listings requiring it rose from 1,028 to 1,500, an increase of nearly 50%.
And if you want one more reason to get certified that's not either job or money-driven consider that attaining the PMP certification will allow you to join the ranks of your peers and add a prestigious designation to your name.
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https://prepzo.com/categories/business/project-management
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