Spotlight on CAPM Certification- IT PAYS!
Kristen LaBrosse, CAPM
I recently sat down with Sarah, a 26-year-old professional who works as an Administrative Assistant at a Financial Firm in San Diego, to ask her about her recent promotion to a Project Manager. Sarah was ready for a change in her career, and saw the opportunity for growth within her company in the project management field, so she decided to take Cheetah’s Exam Prep for the CAPM®
Online Program to help reach her goals. After the 3-weeks course, Sarah sat for the CAPM exam, passed, and received a promotion and a pay raise one week later.
In an interview with Sarah, I discovered why she decided to obtain her CAPM, and how she benefited from this certification instantaneously.
Q: Prior to obtaining your CAPM certification, what was your job title?
A: I had been an Administrative Assistant for 2 years.
Q: Post CAPM certification, what is your job title, and did your salary change?
A: One week after I obtained my CAPM certification I landed a job as a Project Manager and receive a 20% salary increase.
Q: “Do you think that obtaining your CAPM has given you a hand up in your career?”
A: “Absolutely- my company is coming around to the formal PM processes, so being CAPM certified shows that I’m taking the initiative to hop on that band wagon and willing and ready for that change. Also, I didn’t have much PM experience and am trying to get my foot in the door, so taking this test showed my imitative and that I am a self-starter. It’s an great resume builder and you learn all the fancy PM jargon to boot.”
Q: What are your long-term career goals? Do you think obtaining your CAPM was a good stepping-stone in achieving these goals? And if so, how, and if not, why?
A: My dream job in 5 years is to be a successful contractor running larger than life projects. My dream job in 10 years is to be a contractor running larger than life INTERNATIONAL projects. I have to start somewhere- and the CAPM seemed the most logical.
Q: What steps would you recommend other Administrative assistance take if they wished to pursue a career in PM?
A: Put yourself out there! Tell your boss and your teams that you want to get into PM and that you want to start taking on projects and shadowing them on larger projects. I am so grateful that so many people at my company were more that willing to give me projects and mentor me along the way. I’d tell them to show the initiative by taking classes, reading the books, joining PMI and going after the CAPM.
Thank you Sarah for sharing your success story with us.
If you are interesting in finding out more about the CAPM certification, please contact me at kristen.labrosse@cheetahlearning.com, and check out our PM Fundamentals Certifcate Program where you can learn the basics of Project Management and obtain your CAPM certification, and get 5% off when you use promotional code CAPMsmart09.
Thanks for Reading,
Kristen