According to Arvind Rongala, a global trainer, and Moira Alexander (a management consultant), the Project Management Professional (PMP credential) is the most sought-after project management certification in all of the world. What does this mean for those who hold certification? Here are the top ten advantages of obtaining a PMP credential.
1. Higher Base Salary
The median salary for US-based respondents who have PMP certificates was $111,000. This is according to the PMI 2015 Salary Survey. This is compared with $91,000 for those who don’t have the certification (pg. 12). It doesn’t matter if you already have a project management certificate. You should learn PMP.
2. Salary Continually rising
A PMP certification is more than just a quick boost in your earnings. You can earn more over the years with a PMP certification. This is according the PMI’s 2015 salary survey. The median salary for PMP graduates in the US after five years is $103,506. It rises to $124,000 after ten years (pg. 12).
3. Promotional Prospects

It’s not surprising that PMP graduates have higher salaries than ever. Norm Fjeldheim is Senior Vice President and CIO of Qualcomm. This career path “leads to a management track, which could lead all the way up to director, senior director, and vice president.” (pg. 10).
4. Project managers are in high demand
PMI’s March 2013 Industry Growth Forecast for Project Managers in the US predicted that demand will rise by more than 12 percent by 2020 (pg. 2). PMP-certified project managers are highly sought after. The demand for project managers who are PMP certified is expected to continue growing, as the GDP of these industries is increasing.
5. Highlights Commitment
PMP certified project managers can benefit from the increasing demand. The PMP certificate is for experienced project managers. It is maintained by earning 60 professional development units every three years. Employers find this level of commitment encouraging and it’s easy to see why the PMP initials make such an impact on resumes.
6. Highlights Skill
The PMP certification is not only impressive for the effort required. PMP is the flagship certification of Project Management Institute. You are not only a certified expert, but also have demonstrated that you have spent hours leading and managing projects.
7. Client RecognitionA PMP certification is not just for employers. It is a valuable tool for securing new contracts and meeting potential clients. PMI conducted a job search and found that 709 (or nearly 71%) of the project managers job listings on Monster.com required or preferred the Project Management Professional (PMP).
8. Global Recognition
In a 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, they noted “77% of respondents have a documented, company-wide project management methodology” (pg. 16). They surveyed 26 countries on six continents (pg. 34). Learning PMP, the global language for project management, will improve your network and marketing reach.
9. It makes projects perform better
PMI states that organizations can complete their projects faster, on budget, and with the same goals if more than one third of their project managers are PMP-certified.
10. Without it, projects will fail
Organizations that do not use PM methodologies report lower-performing project. According to the 2016 Pulse of the Profession by PMI, 71% of projects achieve their original goals and business intentions when project management culture is high priority. This outcome drops to 52% when it’s a low priority (pg. 7). The best way to hire PMP project managers is to examine businesses that don’t have them.
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