Project Management Institute (PMI) qualifications require a minimum of three years of work experience leading projects. If the applicant does not have a four-year college degree, the work experience requirement is five years. This is the minimum time dedicated to getting certified. Each applicant will also determine their course of study and the amount of time to dedicate to studying. The minimum time required is 35 hours of project management education, but people often spend more time in preparation for the exam. Applicants can study while completing the work requirements, shortening the overall preparation time. The exam has 200 multiple-choice questions that the applicant has four hours to complete. The tests are scheduled at local PMI centers. Applicants should contact their local center to review the test schedule and select a target date.

A PMP certification validates your skills in many areas, including project planning and execution, team leadership, time management, budgeting, and documentation. Certifications such as the PMP also signal to potential recruiters that you are organized, have superb communication skills, can see the big picture while thinking critically and that you invest in training and in learning new skills. As such, the PMP certification can help secure many different roles in many industries. These include project management, engineering management, and operations management in fields as diverse as healthcare, IT, transportation, engineering, consulting, pharmaceuticals, education, and government. Common job titles for PMP holders include Project Manager, Technical Project Manager, Team Lead, Project Delivery Manager/Specialist, and Business Analyst.

The skills needed for successful project management are as diverse as the industries in which project managers work. You can be a project manager in healthcare, finance, insurance, education, government, or at a startup or non-profit. Depending on your role and the types of projects you manage, you may require different skills at different times for various projects. However, successful project managers are generally skilled in project planning, time management, budgeting, and risk management, and they have sound technical, analytical, and communication skills. They also have the leadership, diplomacy, and coaching skills specific to their work. Understanding the processes and regulations that govern your niche or industry is also critical to success, as is the ability to forge relationships and collaborate with others. A PMP certification can provide you with the grounding you need to build these skills and others required in your industry.

Depending on your career level and industry, there are many certifications you can pursue instead of the PMP. For example, the Project Management Institute (PMI) offers the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certificate, an entry-level certification in the project management field. PMI also has the Program Management Professional certificate (PgMP) for more experienced program managers who regularly manage large, complex projects. The Portfolio Management Professional certification (PfMP) is designed for portfolio managers, while the PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) certificate validates your ability to work with stakeholders and deliver successful outcomes. In addition to these credentials, there are certifications for agile project management (Agile Certified Practitioner or ACP), risk management (Risk Management Professional or RMP), and PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments, version 2).

Project management is a great career for anyone who enjoys overseeing projects from start to finish. Whether you're interested in working for a government agency or would rather join a private company, the options across industries are endless. In addition to the limitless possibilities to work in any field, the demand for the role is expected to grow in the next decade. According to the Project Management Institute, employers will need to fill roughly 88 million PMP-related jobs in the years ahead.