PMP is the short form for a Project Management Professional, a globally recognized job profile offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), situated in Pennsylvania. This is a certificate course to train project managers in every stage of their work, from the conceptualization stage to the final execution of the project.
PMP jobs are forecasted to grow by over 33% in 2020-2027, and almost 22 million new jobs are expected to be generated [Source: pmi.org]. Due to these lucrative trends, an increasing number of students in the States are now looking for a PMP Certification, especially from versatile educators like Simplilearn and Udemy.
The PMP course is becoming increasingly popular also due to the rise it gives in the salary package. The average annual salary of a Project Manager in the USA is $78,185, whereas a PMP certification in the USA can get you an average salary of $108,000 [Source: payscale.com]. Globally too, PMI-certified project managers earn 25-40% more salary than their counterparts without such certificates.
Apart from salary, there are various other career benefits of a PMP certification, so let’s take a look at them.
What is a PMP Certification?
Before we talk about benefits, it is essential to understand what you will be doing and learning in a PMP certification course.
A PMP course intends to give you intense grooming around all the stages in the deployment of a successful project. It focuses on Planning, Execution, Monitoring as well as the final Closure stage of a project.
There are more than 1 million professionals with a PMP certificate today across the globe, spread across 314 chapters in 214 countries.
How to Get a PMP Certification?
To get a PMP certificate, you need to follow the following steps.
- Step 1: Register on the official website of PMI. You also have an option to become a member of PMI by paying a fee. It is suggested you become a member as that helps in saving some exam fees.
- Step 2: Join an online PMP certification course offered by an Authorized Training Partner (ATP). These include Simplilearn, TATA, Tech Mahindra, etc.
- Step 3: As your training starts, you need to complete 35 PDUs (Professional Development Units), which refer to 35 hours. These 35 hours can include learning, volunteering as well as mentoring others.
- Step 4: Once you are done with this, you can now appear for a PMP exam. Aim for at least 80% marks to ensure you pass the exam.
- Step 5: This is the most important thing. Even after earning the certificate, you need to keep it alive by earning 60 PDUs every three years. PMP is a never-ending journey.
What are the Benefits of Doing a PMP Certification in the USA?
Some of the key benefits of PMP are listed below.
- The most significant advantage of a PMP certificate is the career prospects it offers. Such a certificate can land you in lucrative roles in various IT, Manufacturing, Healthcare, and other industries. This holds good in the USA as there are different top names like BCG, General Electric, Gillette, Bain & Company, etc., located here.
- Another big advantage of a PMP certification is the opportunities it opens for you. The market is getting competitive, and even recruiters are looking for highly skilled professionals to manage their projects. So when they have to choose between a PM with a PMP certificate and a PM without a PMP certificate, we all know what they would go for.
- As mentioned before, a PMP certificate also increases your starting salary package by up to 2 times the normal average salary. This is a big reason which has been attracting students to go for a PMP certification now.
- One thing that we should not forget is the skills it offers. All the 3 benefits listed above owe to the skills you will be learning in this entire duration of earning a certificate.
The various skills you learn in a PMP course are listed in this table below.
Work Breakdown Structure | Gantt Chart |
Project Cost Estimating | Leadership |
Engineering Economics | Resource Allocation |
Mathematical Project Scheduling Models | Cost Management |
What are the Job Roles after Earning a PMP Certification in the USA?
There are various job opportunities after a PMP certificate, and these are listed in the table below along with average salary.
Job Role | Average Salary Package |
Project Manager | $78,185 |
Project Associate | $62,178 |
Senior Project Manager | $118,200 |
Team Lead/Team Manager | $76,252 |
Business Analyst | $72,499 |
Project Director | $120,000 |
Operations Manager | $74,854 |
Program Manager | $56,539 |
Agile Project Manager | $110,139 |
*These salaries are for the USA for the normal PM roles, and the added advantage of a PMP certificate needs to be added.
Which are the Top Recruiters Hiring PMP Certified Professionals in the USA?
Some of the organizations looking for PMP certified professionals are:
- Publicis Sapient
- Maser Consulting
- Wayfair
- Pearson
- Avanade
- MasterCard
- Sodexo
- Arcadis
- The Judge Group
- CBRE
- DPDHL
- Info Beams
What are the Key Job Responsibilities of a PMP?
A PMP often faces a hectic day as there are multiple tasks to be managed. Some of the key tasks on hand are:
- Managing a team full of enthusiasts and guiding them for proper project execution.
- Planning strategies for different project stages and selecting the tools to be used.
- Consulting with the clients to understand their demands and needs to offer a better solution.
- Holding meetings with upper management to report the project progress and what all to be expected in future.
- Updating yourself with new advancements in the sector so that you use the best practices and latest tools.
- Helping teammates whenever they get stuck somewhere, thus showing exemplary leadership qualities.
In addition to these, there are various day-to-day responsibilities for a Project Management Professional, as it is a very dynamic role.
If you’re looking to enter this field, make sure you are adequately trained with all the skills to avoid a problem later on. Choose the best PMP course today, get the certificate, and open doors of wonderful opportunities for yourself.