How do I go from PMP to CAPM?

How do I go from PMP to CAPM?

Learning Mudra, Category - PMP

Which course to choose

While looking for options to get an extra qualification in project management, professionals often come across various project management certifications. Sometimes, it becomes quite a challenging task for project managers to choose the best certification from themselves. Even the Project Management Institute (PMI) provide plethora of certifications such as PMP, CAPM, PMI –PBA, PgMP and many more. Amongst them, the two most popular and accredited certifications are CAPM and PMP which have their own individual merits. So, which course should you take to actually become a certified expert in the project management field?

Well, there is no tabloid answer for this, as the prescription for any project management certifications is highly dependent in individual need, qualification, interest and professional level. So, if we look at both the certifications i.e., CAPM and PMP, they are quite distinct in their orientation and cater to different set of professionals and needs. While CAPM is basically an entry level certification which certifies project management professionals with ability to work on various components of a project. On the other hand, PMP certification provides project managers with theability to lead big project with highest of efficiency. Alongside, both the certification aresubstantially different in their enclosed subjects, exam pattern and eligibility criteria.

How to go from PMP to CAPM

While making the crucial certification choice in their career, many project management professionals often tend to wonder as what should be the right approach to get those certifications or what should be the chronological order for the same. Obviously, it depends on every individual and their background, however many aspirants wonder how theycan get a PMP certification and go for another additional certification such as CAPM. Well, you can go for CAPM after acquiring the PMP certification without any problem, but does that make sense to do?

As we have mentioned above, both the certifications are different as CAPM is entry level qualification and PMP is relatively an advanced certification. So, wouldn’t it make more sense to go for CAPM first and then go for PMP certification. It is not hard to understand that basic qualifications should not only come first, but they also build up for knowledge base and skill set for the higher qualifications. So now don’t you think that going from PMP (for both aspirants and certified professionals) to CAPM is not only futile, but it may also become a waste of time? It is always better to do things in the right order or do it in a way which builds your career in ascending order. In fact, acquiring the CAPM can also be helpful in acquiring the PMP certification.

Going the other way round

Having cleared the doubt regarding the level of qualification for both CAPM and PMP, we can establish that irrespective of the misconception the right approach is to first acquire the CAPM certification and then get the PMP certification. Now the questions which attract a lot of attention is how to use the CAPM certification to become a PMP certified professional. The most direct way CAPM can help you in PMP is in the eligibility criteria of PMP itself. The minimum eligibility for PMP requires you to have either the minimum experience in project management or 23 hours of project management education. In case you are relatively new in the field and don’t have the necessary experience you can opt for CAPM certification and the training that you will go through to clear the CAPM exam will also provide you with the minimum 23 hours of education needed in PMP.

Additionally, while you go for the CAPM certification and the associated training and education, it will also provide you with basic knowledge and skills which will also help you in the preparation of PMP exam. This is also evident from the content of the CAPM handbook which has many recurring topics in the subjects of the PMP certification. On the hindsight, while getting the PMP certification the enhancement in your professional credentials and knowledge would allow you opportunities to be part of big projects, hence further refining you credentials as a top market player in the project manager. This new-found experience and knowledge can thus become the stepping stone for your PMP certification.

Conclusion

Getting a project management certification is aspired by a lot of project management professionals throughout the world. However, the challenge remains as how to go for it and what is the chronologically right approach for it. Acquiring the basic project management certification such as CAPM not only makes common sense, but it can also become a spring board for advance certification like PMP in future for professionals. This will build up your project management credentials in the ascending order which will also project your profile as more conditioned one and ‘gradually’ built. It will also show to the potential employers that you have worked upon you project management skills and you don’t believe in short cuts. Hence, it can be implied that getting the CAPM certification first then followed by PMP certification not only provide you with quantitative enhancement of your project management credentials, but it also improves you profile qualitatively.