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From what I gather, you have to have 4500 hours of project management
experience (not including overtime, lol.) and a BA/BS. Then you go to the
local chapter and cough up a chunk of $ to take 8 Saturday classes, then
apply to PMI and cough up more $ to take the test. Then poof, if you pass
the test, you're certified. Then you need to cough up more $ every year
to take more classes to keep that certificate current.
The pain of it is-- they schedule the classes at the break of dawn on
optimal roadtrip weekends and if you miss a class you have to wait an
entire year to make it up. That means that your entire end-of-summer/Fall
is a throw-away. No early surf Saturdays, no Friday nights out and your
Saturday afternoon is shot too. Plus Sunday and any weeknights you have
to spend studying... That means that there's no midweek happy hours or
late nights out either... So basically you spend a hefty amount of money
to sit in a class that has common-sense information and basic accounting
to lose out on a whole Fall and then not make any more $ than you would
as a senior tech writer with fewer job opportunities... And you get to
pay enough for a cool trip to repeat the experience next year and every
year after.
Plus, you don't ever really meet anyone through the classes who will hire
you.
YUCK.
Of course if anyone out there has taken the test and has a different
experience to relate... I'm all ears.
__________________
There's WAY more to it than that. Tests are only one criteria.
- Meet specific education requirements.
- Meet specific experience requirements...in the area of 1500 to 2500
hours
- Agree to adhere to a code of professional conduct.
- Pass an examination
- Demonstrate an ongoing professional commitment to the field of
project management by satisfying PMIâs Continuing Certification
Requirements Program.
- and others
