Professionals have mixed reviews when it comes to achieving IT certifications. Some believe that only work experience demonstrates your skills in any field while others think of pursuing certifications as something that improves their odds of getting hired or a promotion. Suppose you want to become a project manager. Would you say it’s a senior-level position, and only work experience can increase your credibility for the role? Or is there a certification that can demonstrate your readiness in project management even if you do not have much relevant experience? Well, real-world experience cannot be replaced, but one certification that can fast-track your career in this field is Certified Associate in Project Management or CAPM certification.
Administered by the Project Management Institute, the CAPM certification distinguishes you in the job market and improves your effectiveness and credibility to work with project teams. It is an entry-level certification that guarantees a candidate’s strong foundation in project management basics and his commitment towards excellence at the job. Moreover, PMI has not designed it with any specific industry in mind, certifications by PMI allow candidates to showcase their project management skills in virtually every industry.
Let us know the details regarding the CAPM certification and is it really worth your effort or not.
The CAPM Certification
The CAPM certification makes you capable of managing larger projects and adding project management skills into your current role. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Sixth Edition outlines commonly acknowledged best practices in project management and the CAPM certification indicates your knowledge of the principles and terminology included in this guide.
To achieve the CAPM certification, one needs to fulfill the education requirements and then pass the CAPM certification exam. The education requirements include a secondary degree along with 23 hours of project management training before appearing for the exam. There are 150 questions in the exam to be solved in 3 hours. The learning objectives covered in it are as follows (along with their weightings):
- Introduction to project management – 6%
- Project environment – 6%
- Role of the project manager – 7%
- Project integration management – 9%
- Project scope management – 9%
- Project schedule management – 9%
- Project cost management – 8%
- Project quality management – 7%
- Project resource management – 8%
- Project communication management – 10%
- Project risk management – 8%
- Project procurement management – 4%
- Project stakeholder management – 9%
Why Pursue a CAPM Certification?
Professionals are skeptical about deciding to achieve any certification until they are aware of the career benefits associated with it. As the IT industry is highly competitive, certifications are the best way to demonstrate your understanding of any field. Now, focusing on the CAPM certification, one may not be sure if it is really worth your time and effort. So, here are the reasons to convince you to pursue this project management credential.
Project management skills are in high demand
With growing digital transformation, companies are in dire need of project managers who can understand the changing client requirements and head the project progress accordingly. Dice Insights also highlighted a Burning Glass report that found project management at the top of the list of most in-demand tech skills. Knowledge of project-management methods like Agile, Scrum, and Kanban will position you high when applying for project management positions.
Paves your way to senior managerial positions
The CAPM certification can give you the perfect start in the field of project management. Moreover, it is a prerequisite for industry-recognized certifications like Project Management Professional (PMP). If you have a CAPM certification, you will be exempted from taking the mandatory 35 hours of project management training as an eligibility requirement for PMP. Through CAPM, you will be able to build a strong foundation that will help you in preparing for more ambitious managerial roles.
Improves your earning potential
Certifications are necessary to demonstrate your skills in any domain and often make it easier for hiring managers to filter out the right candidates for their open positions. As CAPM is administered by the PMI and is recognized globally, employers know that you have proven project management skills and thus offer you high salary packages. Even though it is an entry-level certification, you will be able to achieve higher than your non-certified peers, as high as $88K per year on average (as per ZipRecruiter).
Work in top technology companies
Project managers are required in every industrial sector. As CAPM is not vendor-specific, you can explore career opportunities as a project manager associate in any desired career field. Companies like Wells Fargo, TCS, IBM, HP, Oracle, Paypal, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and a lot more hire project managers every year. The CAPM certification helps you become eligible for all such job openings in these technology companies.
Take Away
Looking at the benefits mentioned above, you can confidently say that CAPM is worth your effort. You should now take a step ahead and think about how you can prepare for the CAPM certification exam. As a matter of fact, many professionals prefer taking the CAPM for beginners course to gain all the necessary skills without going through the hassle of searching for the study materials. So, get on board and start your journey towards becoming a successful project manager.
