Why a PMP certification will increase your abilities and allure as a project manager

It’s safe to say that most people want to be ‘the leader’ in whatever situation they are in or facing. Likewise, the benefits associated with leadership tend to be very attractive; salary hikes, your own office, and of course, having the authority / power to direct others. However, most people will never attain such a title, and it’s usually because they’re not prepared to handle the responsibilities that leadership entails and/or lack the skills / experience. While there’s no program in existence that can teach individuals the importance of accountability, there are great certifications / training courses which can definitely help prepare a person to deal with the challenges that a managerial career presents.

One of the best examples of a solid and versatile leadership preparation program is the PMP certification which is offered through PMI (the Project Management Institute). In a nutshell, a PMP certification helps to train prospective leaders in all the areas relevant to project management. In other words, students will learn all about the finer points of planning, initiating, executing, controlling, monitoring and of course, finishing projects (through study of real-world examples and case studies). Needless to say, the PMP cert is a great and immediate way to signal employers (current or future) that you have the training required to help you function as a leader in the workplace. But beyond that, such a certification demonstrates one’s willingness to step up and assume the role of someone who can “get things done” and isn’t afraid of responsibilities. 

Who likes to employ those with a PMP certification on their list of credentials? Aside from the many medium to large sized businesses that routinely hire those with a PMP, governmental agencies and other types of professional organizations are also on the lookout. So, whether you are interested in climbing the corporate ladder, or perhaps learning how to manage fundraisers / non-for-profit organizations, a PMP certification should be considered very useful indeed.

Specifically, those who clearly demonstrate an aptitude for leadership roles are the perfect candidates for PMP certification. However, in order to qualify for the program and exam, you must meet one of two different prerequisites – possess a four-year degree with around three years of hands-on experience (plus 4500 hours spent directing projects). Alternatively, one can also apply with only a high school diploma as long as they have five years of experience (and around 7500 hours of project management experience).

Like many other certification programs these days, PMP credentials are not permanently valid; there is a three-year phase where at least 60 PDU credits must be attained in order to properly maintain the status of your certification. This is done for various reasons, most notably in order to ensure that professionals are up-to-date with their knowledge base and so forth. What is a PDU, you ask? PDU is short for Professional Development Unit and they are essentially rounded activities which are officially recognized as training activities by PMI. In other words, you might attend an hour-long class or seminar which details some new approach to project management, or perhaps you publish a white paper on the subject…there are multiple options for completing PDU’s. It should be noted that most individuals will likely “organically” complete a number of PDU-friendly activities throughout the course of a three-year period (especially if they are serious about a career as a project manager).

Once you finally have your PMP certification you’ll be privy to a much larger bank of potential employers, all of which will find the prospect of hiring you to be more alluring. At the same time, if you’ve put real effort into your certification, you’ll have a much larger set of resources and knowledge to draw upon when it comes time to actually engage your first major project with a new company. Sure, getting PMP certified can be time-consuming, but the benefits of an increased salary and new network connections are certainly well worth the effort for serious professionals.

We’ll leave you with this informational tidbit:  most PMP certification holders end up with salaries that fall between the ranges of $65,000 – $150,000.

Are you studying for your PMP certification?  Would you like to pass on your first attempt?  If so, click here!  

What is an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)?

As any experienced and informed internet surfer can tell you, there are many Adobe products and technologies which have become important tools used to help create, as well as deliver content. After all, where would the web be without Photoshop, After Effects, Flash, Acrobat, and many others? The truth is that Adobe is one of the most important software manufacturers on the planet and it is the fruits of their labor which make the internet-as-we-know it, possible.

Given this reality, it only seems logical that those who are serious about IT or technology in general might take special interest in Adobe-specific training and/or certification. This of course brings us to the notion of one becoming an Adobe Certified Expert. But what is an ACE, exactly, you might be wondering? Well, in a nutshell, anyone who passes one of Adobe’s certification exams is technically an Adobe Certified Expert.

However, as one might expect, not all areas of expertise will be adequate for everyone. For example, those with a keen interest in media production might want to veer toward the After Effects and Flash certifications; while a person who’s into web design will be better served with certs in ColdFusion and Dreamweaver. Likewise, professional photographers and visual media specialists will make good use of the Lightroom, Illustrator and Photoshop.

These aren’t the only useful certifications on the table though; there are also those that are specific to web development, like CQ5 and Adobe Insight. Both of these programs are good examples of courses which deal with more technical topics, like Databases and Cloud Computing. Needless to say, those that are engaged in a professional IT career (or perhaps heading in that direction) will get quite a lot of “mileage” out of the more technical certifications. But that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t pay for an individual to train and certify in something like Photoshop anyway; any special abilities you possess will only boost your appeal.

In today’s rough-and-tumble economy it’s a good idea to have a central career focus, but also have a number of useful skills which are directly or indirectly relevant to your main career choice. In other words, yes, go ahead and train in IT, but make sure you have a number of other certifications to your credit which can attract other types of employers. The bottom line is that becoming an Adobe Certified Expert in one or more areas demonstrates that you know how to effectively utilize some very useful technologies; needless to say, employers really like that.

However, one certification alone might not be enough to demonstrate your ability, that’s why special attention should be paid to those programs that can function as “mashups”. To put it simply, a Mashup is what happens when you combine the functions or abilities of two or more components / software / technologies for various purposes. In short, mashups are everywhere and could be construed as critical elements of modern programming, web design and internet-based business. Still confused? Think of it this way; someone who specializes in producing entertaining corporate training videos for the web probably has an in-depth knowledge of Adobe After Effects, but they might also find training in Flash to be very useful as well. Likewise, if they begin to move toward integrating web design into their work, it would also be quite beneficial to get certified in a discipline like Adobe Muse.

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Interested in learning more about Rich Internet Applications (RIA) like Adobe Flash?  Click here…

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For those that are ready to “take the certification plunge”, you’ll be happy to note that all of Adobe’s certification programs are extremely affordable (with most of them costing less than $200 USD). Moreover, unlike many other programs offered by various organizations, individual certifications do not expire. In other words, if you become certified in Photoshop, your cert won’t simply expire, but it might need to be serviced occasionally, in order for you to stay up-to-date with regard to certain technological upgrades. Recertification is also much cheaper, which is a nice touch.

If you’re interested in an entire certification suite on the other hand, you should know that a one-year limitation is in effect. Furthermore, there are essentially three suites to choose from: Web, Print and video. Those who successfully complete an entire suite of certifications attain the master certification level.

The Oracle Database Training programs are great for those seeking a future in BIG data

Oracle is a forward-thinking company, particularly when it comes to IT-specific technologies.  As many of you are undoubtedly already aware, Oracle is in fact the third most significant software producer in existence, following Microsoft and IBM, and they are known for promoting Java, of course. Likewise, they are a major computer hardware manufacturer, turning out great systems which can be used for a variety of applications. What many might not know is that Oracle is also a major contender when it comes to mobile technologies, cloud computing and Big Data. In fact, Oracle has one of the better IT training and certification programs around. It’s called “Oracle University”, and it comprises a number of important areas of professional development for IT workers

Their Big Data programs are certainly getting a lot of attention these days, and for good reason, they basically have a certification for every area related to database / big data that you can think of:

• Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional

• Oracle Application Express Developer Certified Expert

• Oracle Certified Associate, MySQL 5

• Oracle Certified Expert, MySQL 5.1 Cluster Database Administrator

• Oracle Certified Expert, Oracle Real Application Clusters 11g and Grid Infrastructure Administrator

• Oracle Certified Professional, MySQL 5 Database Administrator

• Oracle Certified Professional, MySQL 5 Developer

• Oracle Data Warehousing 11g Certified Implementation Specialist

• Oracle Database 10g Administrator Certified Associate

• Oracle Database 10g Administrator Certified Master

• Oracle Database 10g Administrator Certified Professional

• Oracle Database 10g Managing Oracle on Linux Certified Expert

• Oracle Database 10g Real Applications Clusters Administrator Certified Expert

• Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Associate

• Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Master

• Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Professional

• Oracle Database 11g Certified Implementation Specialist

• Oracle Database 11g Performance Tuning Certified Expert

• Oracle Database 11g Security Certified Implementation Specialist

• Oracle Database SQL Certified Expert

• Oracle Enterprise Manager 11g Application Quality Management Certified Implementation Specialist

• Oracle Enterprise Manager 11g Certified Implementation Specialist

• Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate

• Oracle9i Database Administrator Certified Associate

• Oracle9i Database Administrator Certified Professional

• Oracle Spatial 11g Certified Implementation Specialist

• Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Certified Implementation Specialist

• Oracle Real Application Clusters 11g Certified Implementation Specialist

• Oracle Certified Expert, Oracle Database 11g Release 2 SQL Tuning

• Oracle Certified Professional, Database Cloud Administrator

• Oracle Certified Master, Database Cloud Administrator

While any of these fine programs should be considered suitable for intrepid IT professionals, special attention might be granted to the 10g and 11g training tiers and their related areas of specialization. Once again, this is not to say that any of the other programs aren’t as worthwhile (certainly not the case), only that the 10g / 11g sections might be better suited for those who are seeking longevity in the Big Data field. Having said that, anyone who trains and specializes in cloud database or more specific technologies like MySQL, will be in a great position as well.  

What makes the 10g and 11g sections areas of special interest is the fact that they are specifically geared toward administration and / or mastery of a particular discipline. For instance, each area (under 10g and 11g) of administration comprises three tiered training levels – Associate, Professional, and Master. Needless to say, this provides individuals with a direct pathway toward improvement and enhanced certification.

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Starting an Oracle training program soon?  These exam preparation tools are essential for 10g and 11g programs; pass your exam on the first attempt!

• 10g database administrator – OCP

• 11g database administrator – part 1

• 11g database administrator – part 2

• 11g database administrator – certified master

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At this point you might be wondering “why should I seek a future in Big Data anyway?” Well, here are a few statements and statistics from Gartner research which might help to paint a much clearer picture:

“By 2015, 4.4 million IT jobs globally will be created to support big data…”

In other words, due to the increasingly vast amount of data that’s accumulated on a daily basis, the IT industry is going to have to meet the demand to service the data deluge with database specialists. The truth is that there’s no going back to a simpler time when no one knew what a terabyte was; these days, Big data is used to drive businesses as well as aid in decision-making processes.

Take this comment from Gartner Vice President, Peter Sondergaard, for example:

“But there is a challenge. There is not enough talent in the industry. Our public and private education systems are failing us. Therefore, only one-third of the IT jobs will be filled. Data experts will be a scarce, valuable commodity.”

Needless to say, this highlights an important opportunity for current IT professionals who understand this reality and will take the steps to scoop up some additional certifications in the immediate future. In a nutshell, those who enter into Big Data careers right now will find themselves in an excellent position in the coming years.