Project Management - Certification.

[SueEllen]

^^^ Experience ^^^
Plus I guess I could fall back on my CSE in Woodwork if absolutely necessary.

You are that old?

[stek]

^^^ Experience ^^^
Plus I guess I could fall back on my CSE in Woodwork if absolutely necessary.

I was joint 16th out of 17 at woodwork at school...

[SueEllen]

I was joint 16th out of 17 at woodwork at school...

I hope you don't do any DIY at home.

[DallasDad]

You are that old?

When I left school with my collection of CSEs there were still such things as proper apprenticeships
I did a four year indentured apprenticeship with Marconi Elliott

That was at a time when a lot of flight computers were still mechanical.
Slide rules were the norm.

It was even before the days of post it notes for draft critical path analysis so we had to improvise - blank beer mat type things were popular.

Eee it was hard then........ q month pythons cardboard box sketch.

[Bluenose]

Prince 2 is a tick in the box but it teaches you the foundations required to do the two MSP qualifications which I found to be far more interesting and rewarding to complete.

[MrMarkyMark]

I'd completely agree that to actually do a PM job then the key quality is experience.

To get a PM role, I think the answer is less straightforward. Some agencies / HR desks will filter cvs based on key words, and often PMP and Prince will be two of those keywords used for PM roles. Without either qualification on your cv, it simply won't get past that first hurdle to get to someone who can actually assess your cv properly.

FWIW I think you're unlikely to go wrong in the UK, as far as such keyword filtering is concerned, with "Prince2 practitioner" mentioned on your cv. (And some recruitment desks will actually check that your registration is current, with potential ramifications if not - banks are very fussy about anything which is perceived as misrepresentation on your cv)

More than fussy, I have seen a few escorted offsite by security a number of times

[kaiser78]

I read recently that the PRINCE2 Practioner validity is to be reduced from 5 years to 3 years before having to re-certify. Not sure from when this kicks in but something to watch out for if need be.

[rjoe]

Prince2 teaches you some fundamentals, but good luck with tailoring it to real life, that's why XP is valuable.
With both, you're onto a winner.

[contractor475867]

These certifications are a box-ticking exercise.

Solid project management skills are learned on the job and are almost universally transferable between industries.

Unfortunately, recruiters and employers do not understand this at all and will filter by these keywords.

Thus, the more certificates you have, the more likely you will be selected for an interview.

What's worse, really, is that many companies put out extremely specific briefs, making it look like a Magento PM could not possibly, ever, manage a Sitecore build.

NEVER

[ruasonid]

More than fussy, I have seen a few escorted offsite by security a number of times

On the other hand I've gained certs in PRINCE2 etc. told they were required for public sector roles. When I started I found its practice was nowhere to be seen.

Not sure there was ever much demand for PRINCE2, etc. outside public sector.

It seems to be a common practice for many to put these certifications on their c.v. even when they have expired. Having said that, I have seen such people hired and validity of certifications never checked.