Okay, I’ve decided to do it! I’m attending the ASPE Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification Exam Boot Camp in Denver, Colorado! It is part of a twelve-city tour by ASPE, Inc. to educate and prepare would-be project managers for the PMP Exam. Cool!
Wouldn’t it be neat to read the unbiased personal experiences of somebody who had been through the course before taking the plunge yourself? That’s exactly what I’m offering in this series of blog posts. You’ll get my unvarnished daily experiences of the entire PMP Prep seminar. After reading them, you can decide if this is for you. I expect to enjoy myself, so you probably will too.
I’ll be posting my personal experiences every day I attend. You’ll get a firsthand look at the whole process: the course materials, the homework, the hardships, and the excitement along the way – everything one might expect when taking such a course to prepare for sitting the PMP exam hosted by PMI. See links below to check out the ASPE course I’ll be taking.
Honestly at this point, I just have a sketchy view of the week ahead. I sort-of know what to expect, but not exactly. I’ve been doing project management for longer than I care to divulge, but have never taken the PMP exam, and never formally studied the disciplines of project management. Of course, having worked in engineering shops since college, I know much of the terminology and probably apply the principles on a daily basis. So I’m coming from a different perspective than those who may just be starting their careers. Honestly, I wish I’d done this a long time ago, but it’s never too late to improve your career with training like this.
To prepare, I read through the ASPE PMP Boot Camp overview and course outline (see link below). I learned that there are four very full days of coursework – from 8 AM to 6 PM. (I’m expecting to drink from a fire hose.) The course outline lists 68 topics grouped into 8 areas. We’ll cover such lofty subjects as Project Management Overview, The Project Management Life Cycle, The Knowledge Areas, The Elements of Project Management, The PMP Exam, The PMP Certification, and The Credentials.
After finishing the course, they say 97% of ASPE students pass the PMP examination. That’s reassuring. It probably means I could too!
The cost is $2,395. Honestly, I think that’s a small price to pay to advance your career. I mean really… if you plan to spend any time around projects for next forty years, this is probably a good idea – it doesn’t matter what your role is. You’ll certainly earn it all back, especially since it launches you on a fast-track to higher management positions. And PMI claims a PMP certification it directly impacts your salary. Who doesn’t want that? This little-understood fact is a big deal for career advancement: Get all the training you can handle. And get it early in your career!
Helpful links:
http://www.aspe-sdlc.com/courses/pmp-boot-camp/
http://www.pmi.org/certification/project-management-professional-pmp.aspx
http://www.projectteamblog.com/?p=239
Links to previous ASPE PMP Boot Camp posts
Disclaimer: The thoughts and feedback for the ASPE PMP Certification Exam Boot Camp associated with this series of posts are my own. In exchange for providing my feedback on this community forum, ASPE has provided benefits related to my course attendance.