CAPM and Life Thereafter

The Ambition
If you need reasons why you need to qualify the exam, take your pick:
*People (read team, your boss and future employers) will take you seriously and your ambition to become a PM
*Talk about getting the right opportunity
*You will be motivated to reach out for the next goal, no matter how tough it seems
*Career gets a boost
*You look forward to advance your stand as project management subject matter expert.
*A tad bit easier to get into entry level project management job profile.

The Preparation
You register for the exam through PMI and you get hold of the PMBOK. Is that enough? Ok, so now you start reading blogs, you are well informed but you have to get through the exam.

Tricks anyone?
*You have to think very clearly, so keep your mind fresh and ready.
* The questions are not as simple as they look. There will be a trick word or underlying meaning which affects the answers. Look out for the words.
*Out of the 4 multiple choice answers, chances are 2 will be wrong. The other 2 will be almost the same; the decision you make will have to be exclusively by re-reading the question (based on 1-2 words in the question).
*Understand the concepts and why a process is executed.
*The roles of the individuals and how it affects the projects

Don’t assume you will get the PMBOK right in your first reading, you won’t. Read the book without understanding the details. Once you have finished with your first reading, try it again- more you read better you understand the picture.

Reading the PMBOK is essential no matter what other books or prep materials you follow. Try starting as early as possible. Divide your time, to read through the material at your pace, re-read it and understand. Then take a break to think over the concepts. Resume with the reading of the book and the prep materials. If you know peers who have appeared for the exam it’s a great help. Unfortunately, I am not lucky here and relying more on my guts.

The Thereafter
Ok you have guessed it- I haven’t seen the thereafter.
Remember, my exam’s on September 15! How confident am I? Not much actually I’m completely blank at this point. I don’t want to take the pressure to pass the exam. Do I want to? Desperately. I have never taken an exam so publicly in my life as this one, my results will be somehow part of the blog for the entire world to read and of course my team at work will know it as well. Embarrassing I say (if I don't make it).

Never mind is what I say to myself- its part of the journey. Whether I get it or not the fact that I took up the challenge is a boost enough. I’ll get it.

To all dreamy eyed to-be PM’s- don’t give up your dream and there’s no shame in pursuing it. Take up the challenge and once you are in it and part of it- you will get it.

(Picture: Google Images)