PMcrunch

Someone recently asked in a forum for advice on what they should do next in their career, with a keen interest in what certification could do for them.  I responded:
 

“I would go for something that will help you specifically to get your next job, or perform better in your current job.  The post I agree with the most is the one that said “experience trumps certification.”  So, use certification to gain experience - that is, to qualify for new roles, and to perform your current roles more effectively.”
 

That being said, it always pays to keep moving forward.  If you have a little extra time, earning a certification pertaining to your current position will likely help you to perform better.  Earning a certification that takes you to the next step beyond your current position will also help in a number of ways.  First, people in your curent job may notice that you are thinking more like a level up from where you are now.  Second, going for the certification will put you into a harder-charging, more goal-oriented mode than otherwise, and this alone will effect how you handle your daily work.
 

Certification can and will set you apart, but you need to work at it, and you must think of it as just a small piece of the puzzle.  For aspiring project managers, going for the [tag]CAPM[/tag] ([tag]Certified Associate in Project Management[/tag]) would definitely help to put you on a faster track as described above.  It would also put you in a position to earn the [tag]PMP[/tag] ([tag]Project Management Professional[/tag]) much sooner.  Earning the PMP can also be a big boost to more experienced professionals, and if you are feeling a bit stale in what you are doing, it can refresh your outlook and begin to open some new possibilities within and outside your current position.

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John Reiling
Project Management Training Online
Lean Six Sigma Training Online