Wish Me Luck on My PMP Journey!

I am living in a paradox of sorts, having successfully completed many projects but lacking the certification that puts those three little letters after my name on my business card saying “I am a PROJECT MANGER, hear me roar!” So here I am on my journey to obtain my PMP© (Project Management Professional) certification; a journey that began 3 years ago. A little over 11 years ago, I joined the workforce as a fresh faced farm girl, with an Associate’s Degree. I joined a telecommunications company who is a major employer in my area and could be none the happier doing logistical paperwork. Growing up, I knew that education could set me free from the financial desolation of my childhood. So I took advantage of the educational assistance program my company offered and soon had my Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Human Resources, but did nothing with it for 3 years. Hey, it was my 20’s, as long as there was money in my checking account for alcohol and Taco Bell, what did I care? Eventually, through a large personal change and an enormous event within my company, I made the jump into obtaining my MBA. I proudly walked across the stage in 2007 to collect my hood and then went back to work where not much changed. I was still in charge of a multi-million dollar customer completing various projects, but I wasn’t any closer to setting a course into a career path that I would love for life. Process, projects, and doing things more efficiently have always been a source of great satisfaction for me. Seeing something grow into fruition from an idea has been one of my most gratifying professional experiences. I have always been a planner, I am a very “A” type personality, there is a certain flow to things, connect the dots, the list could go on and on. So naturally the field of Project Management is where I wanted to hang my work hat. Eventually, my path was crossed by a vivacious woman who was in the process of completing her PMP© certification. She explained to me the many great benefits to obtaining the certification and how it would enhance my project management ability. Initially, I was resistant to the benefits of getting my certification, come on people, I have a MBA . . . most of the managers I had to this point in my career didn’t have that! I was special, I worked hard for my degree - no piddly certification could ever advance my career as much as my MBA would! They say hind sight is 20/20 and I if I could travel back in time and slap the naiveté ideas about my MBA out of my head I would do it in a minute. Don’t get me wrong my MBA gave me knowledge that I would not have learned otherwise, looks great on my resume and has probably helped me get interviews, but it doesn’t say “I am serious about project management – seriously!” Having strong documenting skills assisted me greatly when it came to submitting my application to take the test and one of the only times I have been truly thankful for being a wordy birdy about my accomplishments during the written portion of my year end reviews. I was on pins and needles for the week it took to receive the response that my application was accepted and I had a year to take the test. I set a goal for myself to take the test by March 17, 2012 so I can celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day (my love of St. Pat’s is for a whole other Blog), but I digress . . . I am studying like a madwoman and am scared to death! The more I take practice exams, the more I see how far I need to go in a short amount of time. But this is my passion so I will gladly do what it takes to stuff all of the formulas, knowledge areas, inputs/outputs, and all other relevant information into my brain and be successful. Pass, fail or losing my mind I will be documenting my journey for the world to enjoy.