You Need To Get A Project Management Certification

If you’ve been thinking about becoming a project manager, or adding to your skill set as an experienced project manager, you’ve made a wise choice. Companies of every size and in every industry are looking for smart project managers to help their businesses succeed. As you know, nothing gets done in the professional world without a project, so it only makes sense that companies want the best people to fill their openings for project management jobs. To make a dent as a project manager, it helps to have a professional certification.

What Project Management Certification Should I Get?

There are a few different certifications available, but the two most popular are Prince2 and PMP. Each of these certifications is recognized around the world for their concepts, practices and methodologies related to project management. Of course, there are differences between the two that you should know about before you pursue one or the other.

PMP Certification

PMP stands for Project Management Professional. This certification is highly sought after around the world, but is most popular in the United States. It’s not unusual at all for companies to require everyone on their management team to get this certification. By pursuing PMP certification, you are going to learn the PMP model for best practices and project management methodologies. If you plan on working for a business that is primarily based in the US (not just the office you work at), you’ll set yourself up for success by getting your PMP certification.

Prince2

Prince2 is similar to PMP, in that it offers a set of core concepts, business methodologies and practices that all pertain to project management. There are obviously some differences in project management between Prince2 and PMP, but the major difference is that Prince2 is a business-neutral, open source organization, whereas PMP is a big more business-centric. Prince2 is currently more popular in the UK, but like ITIL, it is beginning to be implemented in more US businesses every year.

Which Project Management Certification Is Right For You?

By pursuing either type of project management certification, you’ll be learning new skills and demonstrating to your employer that you are a competent professional. However, you should check with your company or companies that you are interested in working for to see which type of environment they run. If a company operates according to PMP best practices, you’ll want to get your PMP certification. If the company is a Prince2 environment, it’s only logical to pursue that certification. Take some time to look into companies that you are interested in if you are going to pursue project management certification on your own.

Other Options

There are other certifications that you can get to improve your skills as a project manager. A good course for new project managers is to get Microsoft Project certification. Knowing this software well is a good introduction to the world of project management and can help you if you decide to pursue one of the more in depth project management certificates in the future.

By learning project management skills and getting a professional certification, you’ll be better able to qualify for many different project management positions, so take time to get more information on the major project management certification to figure out which one is best suited for you.