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As many of you are aware, I am currently a project manager for a software company.  My job specifically has me managing implementation and migration projects.  I have been doing this for a number of years, enough in fact that I have another of the requirements to taking the PMP (Project Management Professional) exam under my belt. 

The PMI (Project Management Institute) is a non-profit organization started in 1969 by project management professionals with a goal of “advancing the practice, science, and profession of project management throughout the world in a conscientious and proactive manner…”  Through the years the PMI has created a set of project quality standards that are published in their definitive guide – the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge). The PMBOK guide is now widely regarded by organizations throughout the world as the “industry standard” in project management.  The PMP certification, which is administered by the PMI, assures that project management professionals understand the project quality standards, adhere to a code of ethics, and embark on a continuing journey of learning and participation in the project management community.

To qualify to take the PMP exam you have to have demonstrated project management experience.  For those holding a Bachelor’s Degree this is 3 years (4500 hours) of project management experience.  For those with a high school diploma it is 5 years (7500 hours) .    You must also complete 35 contact hours of PMP instruction from a company, institution or facility that is registered with the PMI.

Since I have my Bachelor’s degree, and I have more than 3 years of project management experience I decided it was time for me to get those initials after my name.  To do that I needed 35 contact hours of training.

I had researched this a couple times in the past and let me tell you there are myriads of opportunities available.  Just do a Google search for PMP Education and be overwhelmed by the over 3 million results.  As I began reviewing the options I became very cognizant of the costs and since this is a non-company funded activity it became a primary concern.  (The exam itself is not an inexpensive endeavor.)  Costs ranged from thousands down to hundreds.  I had almost settled into a local university offering which would have been about $1800.00 when I decided I would Twitter and ask if anyone knew of anything that was available online.  

It wasn’t long and I got a reply from Cornelius Fichtner pointing me to his PM-PrepCast.  This was an interesting approach that I hadn’t even considered.  A podcast that provides me with the supplementary instruction material required by the PMI.  I read through the content of the site and decided that for $49.99 it was probably worth investigating.   I was even happier to learn that if I wasn’t satisfied he would provide me with a refund. 

I listened to the couple of examples he had on the website because I was a bit concerned about being able to keep my interest.  (I know in reading the PMBOK that if you are having trouble sleeping all you really need to do is open up the guide and you will be sound asleep in a matter of minutes.)  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Cornelius has a very pleasant accent and the podcast was actually not too bad.  I signed up yesterday.   Certainly the price is right.  I don’t know of another way to get 35 contact hours for 50 bucks. 

(Shameless plug:  If you are reading this and you are interested click on the PM-PrepCast link or the image above.  His company pays referrals/commission if you sign up using my link. – You can also get 1 of your own.)

I look forward to this journey and I will keep you updated with periodic posts of my progress.  I have until the end of June to complete the exam using the 3rd edition of the PMBOK.  The 4th edition was released in December and the test will be modified for this edition after June 30th.  So with PMBOK in hand I am off to listen to a couple of podcasts.