Wow, time has flown by and it’s already next year (err…which is this year…since my last post). Where have I been my since my last blog post? A hint to say the least is extremely busy! Being the President of my own project management consulting company, CEO of small startup, and a full time project manager is exhausting, but I love, love, love what I do. Yet, busy doesn’t cover the half of it as I’m planning to go back to school again for the 5th and 6th time! Am I crazy? No. Will it be profitable? Yes! I always look for a ROI! You should as well.
“So out with already!” Okay, okay…enough with the drum roll. So, I have been hearing a lot about Stanford University’s Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM) certification (this is about that 5th time I mentioned earlier). So what is this certification about? Well the SCPM certificate grants you the professional credential of Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM), which may be used on business cards and resumes as stated on their website. Okay, it’s not just about the letters, but what the letters signify. Most people are well aware of the PMP certification and often times it comes up in comparison to the SCPM certificate, but which is better? Is not so much about which is better, as much as which will move your career forward from where you are. So let’s exam this statement.
The PMP certification in my opinion will have (potentially) the following affects on your career if you are relatively a new project manager (3-5 years of PM experience generally):
- Provides you with a 3 letter credential. This get’s you automatically moved up the stack of resumes being reviewed.
- (Right or wrong) I find that employers, contractors, etc. tend to favor those that are certified vs not despite years of experience. Don’t get me wrong someone with 15 to 20 years and no PMP certificate still has an edge on you, but then that begs the question, why haven’t you become certified. In the project management industry is seems to be the expected path every PM should take. If they were certified, but no longer are the question becomes why did you let it lapse? Were you not interested in continual education (PDUs)? Now, for someone with only 3-5 years experience whom possesses the PMP letters, you can express this as a strength and that you are “serious” about project management. Again, right or wrong, this speaks to hiring managers. Why? Because it’s another feather in their cap when they dangle their PM services to their customers that their project managers are certified. (That was a long point. There’s a joke in my family that goes “I say this, to say that…” Sorry.) Remember this is just my experience, but I do make well over 6 figures…I’m just saying, take it or leave it.
- Credentials boast when you don’t have to because your work speaks for itself. What I’m saying (I say this, to say that, SMH) Credentials add another layer of value when you have the reputation to back them up. Credentials alone mean nothing, but potential for additional opportunity. The PMP can help you to capitalize on future opportunities because you draw interest, thus making you that much more marketable. Honestly, I don’t even have to post my resume anymore. Not let me clarify that statement by saying I have great experience and several credentials, and outstanding references who can attest to my work, including folks like you.
- The ability to negotiate higher pay. Yep, I make no bones about it. When you invest in yourself, you should expect a ROI. Companies do it all the time, why not you?
- Benefits 1-4 help those who are especially new to the field. Yes, one could argue they help the 16 year PM veteran too, but even more so the new guy/gal. Especially since because they say by the time you are 40 you hit your salary/income peak.
To keep this blog post from getting out of control wordy (too late.) I’ll stop there, because I don’t want to rehash old blog posts just yet. Don’t believe me:
- http://www.learnvest.com/2014/01/career-high-earning-years/
- http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/03/22/the-lifespan-of-your-salary-wages-dont-grow-after-age-40/
- http://www.theinterviewgurus.com/salaries-top-out-age-40/
- http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/getting-started/men-40-plus-beat-barriers-get-hired/article.aspx
My point is that you have to get all you can as soon as you can. The PMP credential can do that as soon as you are eligible. Now for the SCPM. The rest from here I readily admit is mostly “what I heard” or what I believe to be true based on my personal experience and research. but first….a little bit more about why I chose the SCPM program as my next step toward a brighter future.
I’ve known about the SCPM certificate program since 2011…and have ben drooling ever since. What? I’m a geek at heart. What can I say? I love learning almost as much as I love teaching and consulting others because I find that they are often one in the same. Experience is the best teacher. So learning from others gives me the ability to teach others. The SCPM is all about leveraging that (PM) experience. The PMP is about proving you have at least 1.5 years of experience and an understanding of a general framework (PMBOK). So the PMP is about proving you have the basics.
- (roughly the 4500 hours requirement to sit for the exam spread out across a 2080 work year in hours if all you did was manage projects, which isn’t likely)
The SCPM has somewhat of a higher standard. For one if you have the PMP it makes it easier to gain acceptance into the program. For two The SCPM is about the practical application of in depth project management knowledge. This application takes you beyond the basics. So while you prepare for the PMP and learn the common tools, techniques, inputs and outputs that go into collecting requirements, the SCPM is going to teach you how to be effective at actually collecting those requirements. For instance from the Stanford website one of the classes Leveraging the Customer Relationship which teaches you to:
- Build customer satisfaction and loyalty without compromising the organization’s profitability
- Understand customers with different communication styles
- Develop effective communication strategies regardless of gender, culture, or generational differences
- Understand business cultures and how it affects communication style
- Maintain and build relationships while negotiating
One of the things that I have learned in my consulting experience as a project manager is that developing your people skills is an ongoing journey. You never quite make it to the top before you see the next hill. So the SCPM program is the next step to helping me develop and secure a greater footing in my career as a Project Manager. I’m 31 years old and while I possess the skills and experience to get the job done, I also have the ambition and potential to match. While not fill that distance of potential with education and credentials? If I’ve got 9 years to hit 40 I have got quite a ways to go up. Having my own company to keep that income earning plateau well above 40 helps too. (Think about that for while. How can you create that potential for yourself?)
The SCPM will help me to:
- Continue developing my abilities and honing my skills. This keeps me relevant (notice that word relevant) and continuously evolving. This is key to any project manager. The way I see it my career should progress as time progresses. Where I was 3 years ago I shouldn’t be 3 years in the future. We are project managers so we should be planning our life while we live it.
- Add more letters behind me (who doesn’t love singing their ABC’s?) so I can continue adding zeros behind me or at minimum keep the ones behind me.
- Shows stakeholders, customers, employers, contractors, and etc. that I’m serious about my craft and I take continuous improvement (self development) serious. This is a big one for me because If I take me serious, they will more than likely take me serious. It’s all about being able to identify how you add value to organizations (even if its your own).
- Continue to establish myself as an “expert” in my field. Expert at 31? Yes. Expert at 31. Experts develop too. Is there a word for someone above expert? Scholar? More about that later.
I could go on for days (obviously), but I think you get the point. The Stanford name is also well recognized and that helps to establish immediate rapport with those you interact with pertaining to Project Management. So I’ll be attending Stanford University in July! I’m super pumped and super excited! I have heard nothing, but great things about this program.
So what was the “6th time”? Great question. I’ll be returning to school for my PhD in Education this coming fall. I wish to teach at the PhD. and graduate level. As you can see already I’m a big proponent of education and I believe it’s the means by which we learn ourselves. You don’t know yourself until you learn yourself. I will be reporting more often in the coming months how my studies are coming. I look forward to your questions, comments, and encouragement! Until next time…hopefully not a year from now right? lol.