Why get Certified?

If you were arrested for being a professional (in your discipline) could they find enough evidence to charge you?

Probably the most important aspect of certification is to provide evidence to other people so they know what you can do. A professional certification demonstrates that evidence. This is especially the case for the growing range of new professions where professional credibility is, in part, still being defined. Consider these:-

• Cyber Security
• Data Analytics
• Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Data Interpretation.

These didn’t exist 15 years ago, not in the form we know them now. Not many people have academic qualifications in these areas. If you want to join one of these professions you will need to prove you have technical knowledge and a certification program is one route. 

There are two broad categories of certification:-

1. Academic qualifications
2. Professional certifications.

Everyone is aware of academic qualifications. Universities around the world vie for top spot in various disciplines and often the prestige of the organisation you attend is more important than what you actually achieved. College degrees are of undoubted value although surveys suggest that the money that can be earned over a working life isn’t as differentiated as it was say, 10 years ago. Although academic qualifications are based on rigorous development of a syllabus and topics that should be taught, their drawback in today’s world of rapidly changing technology is the time it takes to change the syllabus so graduates have the skill set many employers want. Colleagues in academia tell me it can take up to 3 years, which is simply too long considering the pace some industries and technology is changing.

The answer to that pace of change are certifications which may take several months to develop but are not tied to an academic year and can focus on particular skills and roles, especially specialities. Not only can particular roles be taught e.g. pen testing in cyber security, proposal writing in bid and proposal management, but they can also include specific techniques within a profession e.g. Earned Value Analysis and business cases in Programme and Project Management.

Perhaps the most important element of certifications is they can introduce new technologies or different approaches. Recent ones being USM, which is a principle-driven approach to Service Management alongside FitSM and OpenSM which are agile and lightweight Service Management approaches that an increasing number of students are pursuing.

Professional certifications are usually developed by a Professional Body so if you are interested in a certification check out the Professional Bodies most active and well respected within your discipline. They can also come from a group of committed professionals e.g. the group behind the Agile Manifesto or an individual or professional network with a good idea who are able to build an ecosystem around them to develop their concept and bring it to market.

Where certifications tend to be different from courses and indeed many of the courses that now appear on various platforms, is that they all have an assessment or exam aimed at checking that somebody has achieved the learning outcomes expected for that certification, and many of them are linked to experience.

Unlike many academic qualifications, a lot of professional certifications set out to assess an individual’s competence and certain certifications require continuing education to maintain them.

Arthur Wellington in 1877 wrote “an engineer can do for a dollar what any fool can do for two”. Source: Economic Theory of the Location of Railways. I suggest his definition of an Engineer applies to any profession, and the benefits of professional certifications include:-

In many professions a certification is a licence to practice. In some cases, they are optional, by taking an optional certification the certified individuals stand out from the crowd. They are taking a personal interest in their professional development. However, over time that optional differentiator can become a standard requirement for a particular job within certain companies. This is most notable in the larger professions where a whole host of certifications are seen as a basic requirement. They enable people to demonstrate capability in niche areas and through this continuing education add to their overall professionalism. This works very well as long as the niche remains in demand!

Certifications demonstrate a personal commitment to professional growth and development as the majority of professional bodies require continual professional development, as evidence the individual keeps their skills up to date.

There is significant evidence, through independent research, that professional certifications lead to individuals getting a better job and receiving higher salaries from employers. APMGs own surveys provide similar insights:

• In a survey of Agile Practitioners, 25% of the respondents indicated that obtaining the certification played a role in gaining a new position or promotion.
• Results from our Change Management survey showed that nearly half (46%) of the participants believe their certification has positively impacted their earning potential.

Marion Bell, in this Praxis Framework Webinar, commented that after gaining her Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), she had two promotions and pay rises within two years.

Individuals with demonstrable interest in personal development, education and wider knowledge are often offered more interesting work or a new position within their organisations.

Their proven ability to learn and benefit from training means they're more in demand in project teams or groups thinking of new ways of working or indeed getting involved with strategic discussions in the organisation, through that broader knowledge and understanding.

Most professional role models are people who have gained the professional certifications and are willing to share their knowledge through speaking, writing, conference attendance etc.

CPD or continuing education also underpin an individual’s commitment and they become a valuable employee and contributor in their chosen field.

For long-standing professions e.g. medical, legal, engineering, architecture, academia, everyone has a basic qualification enhanced by additional professional certifications through their career.

For newer professions, a range of professional bodies offer certifications. Some examples include:

• Agile Business Consortium – their mission is to define, unite, and grow the field of business agility worldwide. Some of their popular certifications include Agile Project Management and Agile Business Analysis, each with Foundation and Practitioner levels, as well as Scrum Master and Scrum Product Owner.
• BRMI - the BRM Institute are a nonprofit corporation which helps organisations grow their Business Relationship Management capabilities. Its development program includes workshops on BRM Fundamentals, as well as certifications in Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP®) and Certified Business Relationship Manager (CBRM®).
• In the field of Project Management, there are professional bodies in most countries.
  • The Project Management Institute (PMI), headquartered in the US, is the largest and aims to be the leading authority in project management. It has chapters worldwide, and its most well-known certification is the Project Management Professional (PMP).
  • The Association for Project Management (APM) is the UK's equivalent, serving as a registered charity and the only chartered membership organisation representing the project profession globally. Its qualifications, along with other certifications such as APMG's Praxis Framework, offer a pathway for professionals to achieve Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) status. ChPP is a professional benchmark indicating a high level of technical knowledge, professional practice, and ethical behaviour.
• The UK Cyber Security Council develops, promotes, and manages nationally recognised standards for cyber security in alignment with the UK Government's National Cyber Security Strategy. It has identified various entry routes and career paths in this field, along with the relevant training and qualifications.

There is no single answer to this question as there are very few careers that are linear, and if you talk to professionals who are successful in their field the majority have followed opportunity and through that opportunity gained additional certifications along the way.

It is very hard today as there is no longer a job for life and people need to be more flexible and agile in their career choices. There are many skills and jobs in demand today that didn’t exist 10 years ago, including AI Engineers, Cyber Security Analysts, Data Analysts and Sustainability Specialists.

Likewise changes in technology have elevated the skills of some groups of people.  Statisticians were mainly involved in back-office research before they became Quants on Wall Street.

The knowledge gained through a professional certification is not wasted. The skills gained can be used in many roles.  My suggestion is to do whatever certificate is relevant for your current job but consider what your ideal next role may be.

Be creative and open minded about what skills you gain but focus on quality relevant to your industry. It is better to have fewer certifications from well recognised professional bodies than a large number with limited credibility. 

Look at skills frameworks such as SFIA and map the skills you have - think about the others you could gain and how those could combine to open up opportunities for future roles. Look at some of the surveys from organisations such as the World Economic Forum to see their view of the roles employers may value in the future.

I believe that Project Managers will always be in demand and statistics suggest that 25 million new project managers are required to ensure planned activities can be delivered in a timely manner.  Becoming a project management professional will benefit you in any industry.

I believe Professional Certifications are becoming more important as they are able to react to changes in business requirements and an organisation’s demand for expertise far more rapidly than academic qualifications.  They are also easier and less expensive to obtain, and in many ways more versatile.

The three key reasons why I think certifications are valuable to anyone:-

1.      People in your field will know what your certification means. It is a differentiator and predisposes a level of prestige and recognition.

2.      Businesses need people willing to learn, demonstrate creativity and who can join the dots. This is highly unlikely from someone with a straight-line career so you should expect to move around. Expand your skill set and knowledge through professional certifications.

3.      Seek opportunities outside the mainstream to apply what you know.

The majority of certifications come from professional bodies. You should check websites of professional bodies that are relevant to you and see how their certifications stand in relation to the rest in your industry.

With all certifications don’t forget the basic training. It is often necessary to start at a Foundation / Introduction level to understand the tools of the trade, particularly as you move into an adjacent field.

APMG offers a wide range of professional certifications concentrated in the fields of Cyber Security, Project, Programme, and Portfolio Management, as well as IT Governance and Service Management.

Don’t forget, it is your responsibility to ensure you have enough evidence as a professional in your field, so if a court needs to, it can find you guilty.