It is important for anybody who wants to succeed in the field of project management to have the right mindset and tools available to them. In this article, we will explore the best project manager credentials that help you strengthen your knowledge and become an expert in the field. Some have even been proven to boost your salary by 20%!  If you have a mindset for success, keep reading.

What is Project Management, and Why Is It Essential?

You might be asking yourself, what exactly is project management? Project management is all about communicating with a client and your project team in order to successfully deliver quality objectives. Proper tools and training are essential for your success. Some of the Core Concepts you should know about our cost, time, scope, and benefit management.

Using proper project management techniques can help bring down the risk and costs associated with starting a new endeavor. Companies are well aware of this, which is why they hire project management professionals to help navigate them in the right direction. If you are looking for a driven and successful career path, look no further!

Project Manager Courses: Who Should Take Them?

Some people who are embarking on their project management Journey choose to take courses after they have some real life experience. Others dive into college courses to learn whether this is a career that interests them. Experts in the field of project management can even take courses to help strengthen their skills and make sure their concepts are up-to-date with recommended practices. Long story short, anybody can take a project management course at any stage in their career!

#1: CAPM Certification

If you are new to the world of project management, we recommend taking the CAPM exam first. CAPM allows you to become a certified associate project manager without any work experience! The certification is given out by the project management Institute, which is an exceptional organization. If you do not have any experience yet, this is a great place to start. This exam will require you to have at least 23 hours of project management education under your belt, which is why starting off with some classes is a recommended first step.  Most CAPM exam prep courses will not only prepare you for the exam, but they’ll also earn you the required 23 education hours of project management education.

CAPM courses will help to ensure you are prepared to pass your exam when it is time to show what you know. Study tools can help give you sample exam questions, training videos, podcasts, and so much more! Enrolling in a training class can also be a budget-friendly way to prepare. Many online courses offer flexible learning styles for those who are still in school, or work full-time.

#2: PMP Certification

Already doing project management and want to increase your salary, make yourself more marketable and advance your career? You should look at the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Did you know that this is the most sought-after credential globally? By earning the certification, you are proving that you put in the time, effort, and hours to become a professional in the field of project management.

PMP certification is one of the best to pursue if you are looking to increase your salary.  Taking a PMP exam prep online self-paced course will give you the flexibility most who are working need, to fit in the necessary study time. Not to mention most courses will earn you the required 35 education hours. PMP credential holders can earn up to 20% more than those who have not earned a certification! When you are deciding on what study materials will be best for you, there are a few things to consider:

• Check the PMI website for the exam prerequisites.  There’s an education component and a work experience component. Most exam prep courses will earn you the required 35 education hours, as well as prepare you for the exam.
• If you’re purchasing an exam prep course (highly recommended), be sure to choose one that prepares you for the latest exam, includes an exam simulator with lots of realistic questions and some kind of exam pass guarantee.  We recommend Brain Sensei’s PMP exam prep courses.  They include all of those things, and is very reasonably priced.
• Give yourself time to study and prepare.  Most who set aside regular weekly study time take about 3 months to prepare for the exam.

Salary increases are a main factor pushing those in the project management field to get this exam done. However, recognition from your peers and colleagues, knowledge in the field, and understanding of best practices are also great perks to have!  The PMP certification is a must-have for the resume if you’re job searching.

#3: PMI-ACP for the Agile Project Manager

If you are a project manager who is following the agile methodology, PMI has certifications specifically tailored for this field of study. These courses are based on agile principles and contain learnings associated with scrum, lean, and extreme programming.

In any customer service related field, you will come across clients who are a bit demanding! The pmi-acp credential can help you better handle these situations, and lead your project management team on the path to success. These project management courses will help you become more proactive and agile when facing challenges in the field.

Here is a summary of these three project manager certifications as a ready reckoner for you

Credential	Eligibility	Exam Questions, Duration	Exam Cost
CAPM	High School Diploma & 23 hours of project management education	150 Q, 3 hours	$300 (non-member), $225 (member)
PMP	4 year Bachelor degree & 35 hours of project management education	180 Q, 4 hours	$555 (non-member), $405 (member)
PMI-ACP	2000 hours general project experience, 1500 hours agile project experience & 21 hours agile training	120 Q, 3 hours	$495 (non-member), $435 (member)

What are the Other Project Manager Credentials?

Though the above three courses are some of the most renowned, these project management courses will still help you to grow in your career.

#4: Risk Management Professional: PMI-RMP

Being comfortable with risk management is an essential part of being a great project manager. The PMI-RMP is built to help you understand how to best avoid risk. By having this credential under your belt, organizations will see that you were able to face challenges and overcome them in an effective and timely manner.

#5: Scheduling Professional: PMI-SP

If your interest is in the world of preparing and managing schedules for busy professionals, the PMI-SP certification might be the right certification for you. Upon completion, you will be in high demand and will be able to deliver satisfactory schedules to your current and future clients.

#6: PMI-PBA

Understanding business analytics can help in any professional field. If you are a project manager, project business analytics courses can help to strengthen your knowledge and put you in a great position to receive a promotion.

#7: Microsoft Project

Understanding Microsoft Project is a critical tool for every project manager to master. This is a commonly used tool in many organizations, and companies will expect their new hires to be proficient in its capabilities. Lucky for you, there are many Microsoft Project courses available to help you better understand the software.

#8: Agile Scrum Certification Training

If you work in environments that are susceptible to change, it is important to be well-versed in the world of agile scrum management. Scrum training for project managers can help you become more comfortable with the unknown, so that you are able to better lead your teams in the future.

#9: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Training

Quality management is a critical part of project management, because it is crucial to ensure that the final outcome of our project meets the client’s original standards. The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification will help you become more confident and approving final outcomes of projects. Not only that, but you will be able to better lead project teams in the future, as they strive to achieve perfection.

#10: PRINCE2 PM Courses

If you are working on government related projects, specifically in the United Kingdom, this is a great certification to look into! There are many different levels of this course for people with all backgrounds and experience types. Some of them include Foundation, Foundation and Practitioner, Agile, and Practitioner.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are plenty of project management certifications available for you even if you were at the very beginning of your career. We hope this article helped you decide on what certification will be worth your effort and time, best of luck!