My Project Management Professional Experience

I became PMP certified in 2010. A lot may have changed since then, but let me share my story of life before and after PMP certification. Did it dramatically change my life, or was it just a waste of time?

During my 9+ years at Hewlett-Packard India, I played several roles across different technology domains, primarily following a technical career path. Like any professional, at a certain stage, I had to decide whether to continue on the technical path or shift to a managerial one. HP had a well-defined process to help employees choose the right path, supported by well-trained managers who guided me along the way.

When I left HP to join VMLogix, a startup, I took on the role of “Senior Software Engineer,” which felt like a slight downgrade from my previous position as “Software Architect” at HP. Sometimes, karma plays a critical role in teaching us valuable lessons and correcting our personal egos.

Within three months in 2010, VMLogix was acquired by Citrix, and I was back in an MNC, this time with a very good package, including RSUs. Karma has a way of balancing things out! I decided to switch to a managerial career path, and pursuing PMP seemed like a good way to learn, test myself, and eventually request a managerial position at Citrix.

The requirements for PMP were challenging: 40 hours of managerial training and three years of management experience. With karma playing out like Rahul Dravid in my life, my application was selected for a second review. This involved submitting certificates from my HP and Citrix managers to confirm that I had fulfilled the requirements. I navigated this process successfully, though it cost me a lot of money to courier the documents to the US and so on.

The preparation for PMP was also daunting. It involved reading and understanding the hefty PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge) and passing a strict online test. When I finished the exam at a center in Bangalore, I anxiously waited for the final page that would reveal whether I had passed. My heartbeat was like the last over of a T20 World Cup final, wondering if Suryakumar Yadav would catch that boundary! By God’s grace, I passed and celebrated just as India celebrated its T20 World Cup win.

I earned the badge of honor – the PMP certificate!

I learned a lot during my PMP preparation: how to build and motivate teams, how to track projects, and how to take over a project. These were truly valuable lessons.

I have always worked in product-based companies and startups, never in client-facing projects. In my opinion, PMP might be more useful for client-facing companies or roles. To date, I have never encountered a situation where a client, customer, or company gave me preference because I had a PMP. The buzz and marketing around PMP are so strong that everyone believes it’s essential, but in my experience, it’s optional. I chose not to renew my PMP as it was also expensive.

Thank you.