Discover the path to a lucrative career in project management through the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) program. Learn about the steps needed to maintain certification, gain relevant experience, and seek advanced professional certifications to enhance your project management career.
Key Insights
- The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is an essential professional certification for aspiring project managers, offering a competitive edge in job applications and resulting in increased salary and opportunities.
- CAPM certification requires ongoing maintenance, necessitating the completion of a minimum of 15 professional development units every three years through activities such as learning, teaching, and volunteering.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project are key skills for project managers, with courses in these areas also contributing to the professional development units required for maintaining CAPM certification.
- The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is a more advanced qualification that can lead to a 25% increase in salary, with the experience requirement for applying reduced for those already holding CAPM certification.
- With a median annual salary for a Project Manager around $116,000, significantly higher than the average U.S. salary, the project management sector offers lucrative career opportunities. Furthermore, CAPM certification can result in around a 25% salary increase.
- The Project Management Institute (PMI) expects a 33% increase in project management jobs over the next five years, offering a wealth of job opportunities in this sector.
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is an entry-level professional certification for new and aspiring Project Managers. Suppose you have already earned a CAPM certification. In that case, you might consider the steps you’ll need to take to maintain your certification, earn project management experience, and earn more advanced professional certificates. We’ll cover more advanced project management experience below, so you have a clear understanding of what skill you want to tackle next.
What is CAPM Certification?
CAPM stands for Certified Associate in Project Management. CAPM is a professional certification for Project Managers with little to no experience or for aspiring Project Managers interested in launching a new career in project management.
CAPM is the most entry-level professional certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). CAPM certification is highly recommended for new and aspiring Project Managers with less than three years of experience. Gaining CAPM certification will make you stand out on job applications, increase your salary and opportunities, and ensure you have the necessary training and credentials to launch a new career as a Project Manager.
Project management is a very hot career path. A Project Manager is responsible for managing a project, including planning, organizing, monitoring, directing, and completing various elements of that project. PMI estimates that project management jobs will see a 33% increase over the next five years, with 22 million new project management jobs created by 2027. The exploding demand for Project Managers will lead to around 90 million jobs in the U.S. that require project management skills.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a global education, networking, and professional association for Project Managers. They have been largely responsible for defining the field of project management for the past few decades through the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). PMI offers certification programs, has local chapters in more than 80 countries, organizes academic and market research programs, and offers professional development for project management professionals. PMI’s more advanced Project Management Professional (PMP) is the gold standard in project management certification.
Read more about CAPM Certification and why you should learn it.
What Can You Do with CAPM Certification?
CNBC calls project management “a great way for people with non-tech backgrounds to earn lucrative tech salaries.” The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is the world's leading entry-level project management certification. Earning a CAPM certification will make you stand out on the job market, open the door to more opportunities, and increase your salary.
We are in the golden age of project management: some of the industries with the largest growth in project management jobs include construction and manufacturing, information services, management and professional services, utilities, and oil and gas. Across industries, Project Managers make above-average salaries. According to PMI, the median annual salary for a Project Manager is around $116,000. The average U.S. salary for all occupations is around $50,000, which means that becoming a Project Manager would most likely nearly double your salary. For example, in an interview with CNBC, a Project Manager reports that switching from higher education to project management more than tripled her salary.
CAPM-certified Project Managers earn even more than their non-certified colleagues: PMI reports that CAPM certification results in around a 25% salary increase.
Additional Skill #1 - Maintain Your Certification
CAPM certification is offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Once you earn CAPM certification by passing the exam, you’ll need to maintain it. To maintain CAPM certification, you must complete a minimum of 15 professional development units (PDUs) every three years. PMI defines PDUs as learning, teaching others, or volunteering.
For example, you can take project management courses, either live online or in-person to earn PDUs toward maintaining your certification. For example, NYIM’s advanced Project Management Level II course, which is available in-person or online, will help you accrue 6 hours of PDUs.You can also choose classes relevant to project management, such as courses on Effective Communication or Effective Business Writing, which will be counted toward this requirement.
Additional Skill #2 - Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project
The most common skill required on project management job listings is Microsoft Office proficiency. Microsoft Office is the world's most widely used business software; it is used on over one billion devices. Excellent skills with this iconic productivity suite are required for Project Managers.
Project Managers use Microsoft Office for budgeting, communication, reports, tracking, and presentation. You can take classes to gain Office proficiency, which will also count toward maintaining your CAPM certification. For example, NYIM offers a Microsoft Office Fundamentals Bootcamp. The Fundamentals Bootcamp covers the fundamentals of Excel for Business, PowerPoint for Business, Microsoft Word Level I, and Microsoft Outlook Level I. With 28 hours of hands-on instruction, this bootcamp will provide you with enough PDUs for the full three-year period. You can also take any of these courses individually to add to your resume or complete professional development requirements.
Microsoft Project has been the most popular project management software for decades. Understanding Microsoft Project is critical for continuing a project management career. NYIM offers two levels of courses: Microsoft Project Level I and Microsoft Project Level II. Or, you can bundle both levels together as the Project Management Bootcamp for a 15% discount.
Additional Skill #3 - Earn a PMP Certification
The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is PMI’s more advanced professional certification. It is considered the gold standard of project management professional certifications. PMI reports that becoming PMP-certified could lead to a 25% increase in salary.
Because PMP is a more advanced certification, there are more advanced prerequisites for applying for the PMP-certification exam. For example, you must have several years of experience professionally managing projects to apply. If you are already CAPM certified, the experience requirement is reduced significantly.
Key Insights
- Becoming CAPM certified is the fastest way to launch a new career as a Project Manager.
- When you take the CAPM certification exam, you have three hours to answer 150 questions.
- You can receive comprehensive CAPM certification training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.
Learn CAPM Certification Skills with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is the top professional certification for new and aspiring Project Managers. Earning a CAPM certification is highly recommended for anyone serious about pursuing a new career in project management. Being CAPM-certified will create more job opportunities and lead to a higher salary: reports show that CAPM-certified Project Managers earn around $101,000, 25% more than non-certified entry-level Project Managers.
There are prerequisites to taking the CAPM exam. Before you can apply to take the CAPM-certification exam, you will need to have 0 to 3 years of project management job experience, a high school diploma, and 23 hours of project management education. Enrolling in a bootcamp like Noble Desktop’s Project Management Bootcamp is a great way to accrue the required education hours to take the exam.
Noble Desktop is a coding, business, and design school that offers project management courses live online and at its state-of-the-art campus in Midtown Manhattan. All of Noble Desktop’s project management courses are taught by PMP-certified Project Managers using Noble Desktop’s highly-rated, unique approach to learning: expert instructors teach a “micro-lecture” and then immediately guide students through applying what they just learned. This unique approach to training ensures that students learn the skills they need to get hired.
Noble Desktop’s Project Management Bootcamp is highly recommended for aspiring Project Managers and those seeking CAPM certification. Students are guided hands-on through managing real-world projects to develop skills in the five phases of project management, foundational project management concepts and terminology, project scope, resource management, project costs and budgeting, and risk management. Students also get an overview of several Agile Project Management Frameworks: Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), and Kansan. Graduates earn a Certificate of Completion to demonstrate their credentials.