CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) Question
I need some feedback...
We have a pretty popular Project Management Certificate Program for those professionals looking to get PMP certified. In order to sit for the exam, you need 4500 verifiable hours of PM experience and 39 educational hours.
We are considering offering a 3 day Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Prep course. This would cater to those IT and PM professionals who either don't have or don't want to deal with the 4500 verifiable PM experience hours. All that is required to sit for the certification exam is 23 educational training hours.
I'm curious to know if people are seeing this certification out in the market and would more people be willing to acquire this certification being it is faster, easier, and less expensive than the PMP Certification?
Thanks!
Teri
I know a few people who would be interested, provided that the class was not too expensive. Unfortunately in these days of tight budgets most companies are no longer willing to pay for training, especially for people not already in the job (in this case, they usually won't pay for project management training for people like business analysts or software engineers who are looking to job change or advance). I know that for myself, the prices I've seen quoted for PMP training at various places in the past were generally way beyond my means. Since its fewer hours, would the CAPM classes be less expensive?
My only question about the CAPM vs. the PMP is how many employers seriously value the CAPM? It seems like PMP certification is normally a hard requirement for most PM jobs (if you don't have it your resume goes into the round file). Have people out there with CAPM certs had any success (like getting hired) convincing employers to give them a chance with just a CAPM so they can work towards the experience hours and eventually be eligible to get a PMP? It seems like a lot of people are stuck in the old proverbial chicken-egg loop.
The CAPM is a good certification to start off with if you are working on getting the 4500 / 7500 hours of project management time to earn the PMP. The exams are pretty similar, the only major difference is the CAPM is strictly uses the PMBOK, and the PMP uses the PMBOK, and traditional experience from the field.
Therefore if you are a CAPM, and eventually obtain the hours required to qualify for the PMP, you will find the exam much easier.
Eric Bursley
PMP, RHCE, MCSE
That's good to know... but it doesn't quite answer my question about whether a CAPM is enough to get hired as a PM, or whether you have to already work in another role for an employer who is willing to give you a chance at PM responsibilities. Even then I've heard that unless you actually have a PM title on your resume it can be hard to get hired by someone else into a PM job.