About

Brian is that Canadian guy you might know.

40 thoughts on “About

  • March 12, 2014 at 11:48 am
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    Hi Brian,

    My name is Declan Harty, and I am a student reporter for the Daily Illini at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am currently working on a piece about St. Patrick’s Day and how it compares in the US as to Ireland, and I wanted to first off say that I loved your piece on the matter a few years ago. I was wondering if you would be willing to speak with me either via phone or email about the matter just for comprehension sake? Please let me know.

    Thank you,
    Declan Harty

    Reply
    • March 12, 2014 at 12:00 pm
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      Hi Declan,

      Sure, that sounds fine with me. I’ve sent an email to the email address you provided. Thanks, and I hope you’re having a great March so far!

      Reply
  • May 2, 2014 at 11:29 am
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    Hi Brian,

    My name is Abalo Ayo and I just discovered your project management blog today and was very pleased by the information you posted. I posted a question and I am wondering if I can have you as a mentor. By the way, I speak French fluently because I am originally from Togo but I live in Tampa, Florida. I am looking forward to talk to you.

    Reply
    • May 2, 2014 at 10:40 pm
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      Hi Abalo, thanks for the kind words about my project management blog. I really appreciate it.

      If you have any questions about project management, definitely let me know – I’d be more than happy to try to answer them. The easiest way is to ask them on the project management blog itself (as you have done) – that way other project managers can add their own thoughts if they have them, and other people interested in project management and PMP certification might be able to see them.

      How interesting that you are from Togo! I have never been to Africa myself, but I would definitely like to visit one day.

      Reply
  • June 4, 2014 at 7:48 am
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    Hey Brian!

    It was great meeting you at the fit-2-run fun run yesterday! I look forward to trying out your running interval mix! See you at tonights run possibly!

    Justin

    Reply
    • June 4, 2014 at 9:17 am
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      Thanks Justin – same here!

      I’ll send the running mixes to your email address. I find that they make running proper intervals easier. I have a Garmin Forerunner watch that does intervals, but I tend to listen to music while I’m running, and I find it difficult to hear the beeps coming from the watch. By incorporating dings into the mp3s I listen to I’ve been able to do both – which really helps.

      Hope to see you this evening – we’re going to be there for the 5k.

      Reply
  • June 6, 2014 at 8:58 am
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    Hi Brian

    I am not good in adding posts and so may be adding ths post at a wrong place. I have read your post on Pros and Cons of PMP, Nicely written, Thanks for this info.
    I am working in product design and development for over 12 years now, of which last 7 years I am leading teams for new product development. As a Porject lead I am responsible for defining specifications, scope of design work, monitoring and control, resourse management, stake holder management and project closure. Only area I am not into is of product marketing. Looking at my work I felt to go for PMP certification. Will help to enhance my project management skills.
    PMP is not much recognised in my organisation. But would like to know whether in other organisation in general is PMP with a similar background as of mine is accpeted. Is their a scope for growth.

    Reply
    • June 17, 2014 at 12:30 pm
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      Hello Amit,

      Thanks very much for your kind feedback about my project management site. I really appreciate it! I’m glad that the information about the pros and cons of PMP certification may have been of some help to you in your career.

      It sounds like you have some very good experience working in product development – also where I spent much of my own career in software. It seems to me that you have some pretty solid experience managing projects and people.

      While I haven’t worked in a great many industries (mostly Information Technology), it seems to me that PMP certification is highly regarded in certain circles, but not as well known in others. In IT and software development, it is very well regarded. Many project management jobs in IT will require PMP certification of their employees, and even if they do not, it will certainly give you an advantage over candidates submitting resumes who do not have it. It has also been shown that project managers with the PMP credential make more money than project managers who do not possess it.

      On the other hand, in other domains – construction, banking, and so on – PMP certification is not as well recognized. It may be growing in those areas, but probably not as quickly as PMI had hoped.

      If I were you I would ask your Human Resources department what they think. They will be up on hiring trends both in your domain and in your organization specifically, and will be able to give you some good feedback.

      As for your final question, it does seem to me that PMP certification is a good idea if you’re interested in growth. Sitting for the PMP exam is a challenge, and learning about PMI’s processes will definitely help you to learn how to manage projects better, which is something I think everyone can benefit from, even people who are not officially “project managers”. This applies to other project management skills as well – Agile Development using Scrum, for example. These are all interesting and useful frameworks to learn about.

      I hope this helps. Best of luck to you in your career!

      Reply
  • August 1, 2014 at 10:05 am
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    Hi Brian, I read your article about CAPM recently and would like to thank you for your take on that subject. I’m thinking seriously to study CAPM. Money is no object and I don’t mind dedicating three months (or more if needed) to study for the exam. I’ll explain fully my situation so you have the full picture.

    I have a bachelor degree in Accounting and finished my ACCA exams (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) which is a professional certificate in accounting. I’ve been working for over a year in a very small company and my job is not entirely in the accounting field. In fact, accounting is only a tiny part of what I do there. I’m applying for other jobs in the hope that I could work for a bigger company in the accounting or finance department or work for one of the big audit firms. To be a member of the ACCA, it is required to have three years of work experience related to accounting, auditing or finance. It’s also required to be supervised or mentored by a certified accountant (anyone who has a professional certificate in accounting and not necessarily ACCA). Unfortunately, I’m not satisfying any of those requirements in my current job, so my year of experience will not be counted towards ACCA membership. That’s why I’m hoping to get another job where I can see myself progressing towards the membership (which is what companies and finance departments really value).

    Now after that lengthy introduction (I hope I didn’t bore you by the way!), here are my concerns with getting CAPM. I have a strong interest in the project management field and I think the skills of project management would benefit everyone regardless of their profession. Hopefully at some point I’ll be managing people, assignments, resources …etc. Am I correct in this assumption? Also I plan to have my own business in the future and I regard setting up and running a business as a project which will require proper management. Again, am I right to assume that having basic knowledge of project management will help me in starting a business?

    I would like to stick to accounting and build my career in that field. I chose CAPM because first I can qualify for CAPM even without the required experience. Second, it is an entry level certificate to project management which will give me a fair amount of knowledge (just enough) to make me better at work and make me stand out which in turn will help me going up the career ladder. I don’t need in-depth knowledge (PMP) as I don’t want to change my profession.

    Is it possible that having such a certificate in my CV (resume) would suggest to employers that I am not dedicated to the accounting profession? I am worried that having the title (Certified Associate in Project Management) right beneath (Certified Chartered Accountant) would confuse the employer as to why I am certified in two different fields. Would they see how having knowledge in project management would make me even better at work and that CAPM is just there to support and enhance my ACCA membership and accounting experience? Or should I just leave it off my CV if it would do more harm than good?

    To sum up, is CAPM going to help me in my accounting career and any future plan of having my own business? And is it ok to show employers that I have CAPM besides ACCA?

    Sorry I didn’t mean it to be that long! It would be very helpful to get an opinion from such an experienced and intelligent guy. I really appreciate your help.

    Reply
    • October 20, 2014 at 3:58 pm
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      Hello Sam,

      What a detailed question – I will help where I can!

      It seems to me that you are not actually interested in a career in project management… rather, you are looking to get into a career where you are working in accounting. Specifically, you’re interested in working for one of the larger companies in the finance or accounting departments – you’re probably looking into working for one of the big 4.

      In my opinion, if that is truly your goal, then CAPM certification will probably not get you there. CAPM is specifically for people who are interested in getting into project management, but do not yet have the background (work experience and education) to get PMP (Project Management Professional) certification. My general rule for people who are interested in project management is that if you think you can get the required project management work experience in order to get PMP certified, you should skip the CAPM certification and work toward PMP certification instead (since once you get PMP certified, your CAPM certification would be next to useless). Meanwhile, if you do not have the means to get work experience to become PMP certified, you might consider getting the CAPM. That is because by getting the CAPM, the company you are working for (or perhaps another, different company) might give you some project management tasks – or even a project manager position – where you can get that required work experience to work toward the PMP.

      To conclude: it seems to me that CAPM certification is only really useful if you use it as a stepping stone toward getting PMP certified.

      For you, if you are interested in accounting, then I do not think CAPM certification would be wholly useful. That is because I doubt that the people who will be hiring you and giving you jobs (accounting hiring managers, resource professionals, and accounting department managers) will even have heard of the CAPM – in fact, they may not even have heard of the PMP. If you are good at interviews, then perhaps you can explain the CAPM, how you achieved it, and why it is useful? But for the most part I do not think it would be useful if you’re interested in a career in accounting.

      I hope this is helpful – thanks!

      Reply
  • October 20, 2014 at 6:44 pm
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    Hello Brian, I have a question about the PMP exam hours. Can we speak directly via email about it? THank you, Rebecca

    Reply
    • October 20, 2014 at 6:55 pm
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      Hi Rebecca,

      You didn’t leave your email with your post, so I can’t get in touch with you! Feel free to ask directly on a post – on Entangled.com would be best. That way others might see the response?

      Thanks!

      Reply
  • November 20, 2014 at 7:21 am
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    hello Brian!

    I´ve seen an article you wrote about being certified as a PMP (very well explained by the way) and I was wondering if you could answer some simple questions I have:

    – At some point of your article you refer to it as an IT certification. I have experience as a project manager and I´ve been considering the possibility of being certified, but I do not have an educational background in IT and the projects I´ve been managing don´t have anything to do with it. Does it mean that maybe I should forget about PMP since it´s focused for IT projects? Or that I should think about other methodologies?

    Thank you in advance for helping me with that.

    cheers, Litza

    Reply
    • December 23, 2014 at 12:50 pm
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      Hello Litza,

      Thanks for your question. The good news is, PMP certification is not an IT certification. The PMP is geared toward any project management professionals, be they in IT, HR, construction, or any other field. The thing to note is that the PMP seems to be most recognized within IT. That is to say that if you are working in the field of Information Technology, IT consulting, performing IT installations and so on, the people you will work with (and the hiring managers you will meet) will be most likely to have heard of PMI and the PMP certification. If you’re working in another field – say, sales and marketing – the hiring managers may have heard of it, but they may not have heard of it.

      If you have experience as a project manager and want to further your career, you might consider getting PMP certified. Even if it is not as recognized in fields other than Information Technology, you still may learn a lot about the Project Management Institute’s project management frameworks (that are based on waterfall project management; I also recommend you learn other methodologies and frameworks). If people haven’t heard of PMP certification in your field, you can also serve as a champion and teach them about the PMP and why you believe it is useful. I go through some of the pros and cons of PMP certification in this post.

      I hope this is helpful. All the best to you.

      Reply
  • January 26, 2015 at 6:17 pm
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    Hi Brian,

    Thanks a plenty for your insightful input regarding PMP themes. Honestly this is as extensive as I have seen… granted I have been researching for almost 2 weeks.

    I am on the verge of switching jobs from a Business Consultant in Financial services to a mundane but safe Automotive company(Financial service dept.). I want to be proactive and really go for the PMP (making the best out of a mundane situation 😉 Partially, it will give me something to look forward to, during my prep phase and able to earn the certification, let say 6 months down the road. It will also be a good platform that may propel me to the next level..

    I have started assembling all the projects I was involved in according the below categories: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling and Closing – previously mentioned on one of your entries. I would appreciate a format of the spreadsheet you used in order to compile all your tasks and project involvement. Once again, thanks a plenty for all.

    Rgds

    Reply
    • May 26, 2018 at 12:39 pm
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      Hello Mallo,

      I hope that my advice on PMP certification was able to help you! I realize that I haven’t replied to this comment in a long time (sorry about that – it flew under my radar) but I do have a copy of the spreadsheet that I used to calculate my project management work experience here. Just click on the picture of the Excel spreadsheet to download the file.

      I hope everything worked out well for you in your career!

      Reply
  • February 22, 2015 at 5:50 pm
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    Hi Brian,

    I would like to get your opinion and advise on the PMP certification process and if it would be appropriate for my situation.

    Looking forward to hearing from you, thank you!
    Phil

    Reply
    • March 12, 2015 at 11:10 pm
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      Hi Phil,

      If you’re looking to further a career in project management, I do think that PMP certification is a great idea. That said, remember that you do have to already have significant experience leading and directing projects to apply to take the exam.

      Good luck!

      Reply
  • April 29, 2015 at 10:14 pm
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    Dear Brian,

    I am a saudi student in Canada, and I am studying master of engineering management. I want to take CAPM before i leave Canada to help me to have a good job and to improve my CV. Also, I do not have work experience. Do you think the CAPM is the right one for me?

    Best regards,
    Khalid

    Reply
    • July 19, 2015 at 4:51 pm
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      Hi Khalid,

      Congrats on (almost) earning your Masters in Engineering Management. That sounds like it will serve you well in your career.

      As for whether or not you should get your CAPM certification, I’ve written a list of the pros and cons of CAPM certification in this post. Otherwise, you will have to decide for yourself whether or not it can help you in your career. If you see a way to get PMP certification without getting the CAPM, that is another, cheaper option, as once you get PMP certified it means your CAPM credential is no longer of much use.

      Best of luck with your project management career!

      Reply
  • August 20, 2015 at 7:59 am
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    Hi Brian,

    I came across your article on pros & cons of PMP, CAPM certifications, while I am in this route of taking my resume and skill sets to the next level. To give you a brief background about myself, I am Business Mgmt graduate who is currently pursuing MBA in IT & Systems with a work experience of 10 years in the Tech Sales & Account Management industry. I currently work in the capacity of a Key Account Manager with a Software firm based out of India.

    Now here comes the tricky part, when you turn 30, one wants to know where to head next or how to equip self with the best possible certification to beat competition. One of my key KRA’s is to work with the PM’s and overview the projects that they are being proficiently managed and delivered on timelines hence I have begun to wonder if I should get myself certified in Project Management. I went through a lot of articles and found yours to be the most receptive not just with me but with a lot of other individuals.

    I am seeing a lot of certifications that are available in the market. ITIL, Scrum, PMP, Prince (some of which I have no clue about). PMP might not be something that would work for me, coz I love my Account Management profile and would like to pursue my career graph in this field. But as the world is moving towards specializations & certifications and there are no AM level certifications (atleast in India) I would like to hear your recommendation? Keeping in mind, my goal is to be the apple of the recruiter’s eye and beefier remunerations.

    Your inputs would be highly appreciated.
    Cheers.

    Reply
    • November 23, 2015 at 1:28 pm
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      Hi Joe,

      I am of the thought that having certifications that have a good chance of helping you in your field are worthwhile. That is to say that if PMP certification has a chance to get you a good job or forward your career, it’s probably a good idea. Getting PMP certified does not preclude you from other certifications, and in fact is a good supplemental certification to many different careers (software engineering, construction, business or economic development, and the like).

      I also feel that more certifications is always better. I myself am PMP, ScrumMaster and ITIL Foundation certified, and having all three certifications has certainly helped me in my own career. I have never regretted spending the time, money, or effort to get these certifications, even if I don’t necessarily use all of what I learned during the training or development to earn them.

      Your only issue would be to make sure that you do have the required education and work experience in order to apply to take the PMP exam. If you are not already involved in project management this may not be the case.

      Hope this helps. Best of luck!

      Reply
  • October 12, 2015 at 11:58 am
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    Hi Brian

    I read your articles regarding the PMP, Agile. They are very informative.
    I would like request to answer one of my question.

    I am MBA Student with keen interest in Project Management. I have no work experience. Is it good to get the Scrum Master Certification, if not where should I start my journey.

    I appreciate your time and interest.

    Best regards,
    Rakesh Guraka

    Reply
    • November 23, 2015 at 1:31 pm
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      Hello Rakesh,

      I do believe that the ScrumMaster certification is a worthwhile certification to attain. If it’s something that you can do without work experience, it would certainly show the direction that you are interested in taking toward a project management career, and Agile Development is of course in demand and effective. Getting certified would also show employers that you are committed to learning more about project management and forwarding your own career, which potential recruiters like to see.

      I hope this helps – all the best to you!

      Reply
  • January 4, 2016 at 7:44 am
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    Hi Brian,

    First of all, a big thank you for your numerous articles on Project management of which even I am an aspirant.

    I am working as a management consultant in a Banking firm operations, basically working on process improvement projects. I manage these projects which are small in size and get executed in a span of 3 to 4 months. My question is that how far will the PMP certification will help for a management consultant like me?

    Reply
    • January 6, 2016 at 9:23 am
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      Hello Abhijith,

      It does sound like PMP certification could help you manage projects in your process improvement endeavors. If you do undergo the certification process, you will learn a lot about PMI’s project management processes and how to apply them in your current job. That said, you might also want to figure out whether or not the PMP credential will help you in your career. To do that, you might want to ask the people who work in your human resources department what they think. They would know whether or not PMP certification is useful for people who work in your industry.

      Best of luck to you.

      Reply
  • August 3, 2016 at 7:08 am
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    Hi Brian, I am in an analyst role at a major chemical manufacturing company and have been taking Project Management courses locally. I want to eventually get PMP certified. My question is, “How does one acrue the necessary experience hours to get the PMP certification without actually being hired on to direct projects?”

    I’m inline to move into a scheduling role by the end of this year (unless I’m being lied to by site leadership) but I eventually want to get into project management roles.

    Thanks for your response!

    Reply
    • December 14, 2016 at 10:23 am
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      Hello James,

      I wrote an article about how you might get some of those hours on this article. It is a bit of a catch-22. You can’t get PMP certified without professional project management work experience, but it is difficult to get project management work experience without proper certification.

      You might consider CAPM certification, which is not as powerful as PMP certification, and I don’t recommend getting it if you can get the work experience for PMP certification without it, but it can be helpful for people who are just starting out in the field – and the information you learn for the CAPM will also apply to when you sit for the PMP exam.

      Best of luck to you.

      Reply
  • August 19, 2016 at 6:42 am
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    Hi Brian,

    I’m currently a scientist working in a biopharma company after doing a PhD and MSc in cancer informatics and a bachelor in business informatics and working for a bit more than one year in academia. My question is (for now) regarding the CAPM (since I don’t think I’m elligible for a PMP).

    I’ve worked on multiple projects but not really as a manager. Do you think that the PMBOK® Guide could be a good starting point for me to start getting insights into the field of project management. Or would you recommend another book to start from?

    Many Thanks,
    Abdullah

    Reply
    • December 14, 2016 at 10:27 am
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      Hello Abdullah,

      The PMBOK guide is mostly centered around PMI’s processes that are tested on the PMP and CAPM exams. However, it is not fun reading – it can be pretty dry, as it simply lists all of PMI’s process groups and the various inputs, outputs, and tools and techniques associated with them. If you are interested in learning about project management as a domain, there are other books that you can find. I might recommend searching Amazon.com and finding a project management book that gets good reviews.

      On the other hand, the PMBOK guide is a great resource if you are interested in studying for the PMP exam. Here is a post about how I studied for the PMP exam. I didn’t read the PMBOK first; I would read an easier book to get through first before starting in on the densely-packed PMBOK.

      Best of luck to you in your career.

      Reply
  • October 7, 2016 at 5:51 am
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    Hi Brian,

    I have always done various roles in HR and all of them in some form or shape were various large scale projects i have executed – like launching a new recruitment framework, setting up a global talent training program, setting up a delivery organization, etc. I understand from your blog that doing a PMP certification is of course valuable.
    My question is: I am leading a HR Operations Delivery team and it is a business role where am responsible for the PnL of the entire function, talent management, etc. I am not able to get my mind around – if the role i am doing qualifies me to take up a PMP certification or not. I intend to grow in these kind of roles and i shall take up multiple projects (some short-term and some long-term) for the organization. I just wanted to know if doing a PMP would add value to the kind of job / role i am currently doing and also help me in future as i grow.

    Reply
    • December 14, 2016 at 10:32 am
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      Hello Anish,

      In order to figure out if the work you are doing qualifies you for PMP certification or not, you must first figure out whether or not the work you are doing qualifies as a project. If it does, then you can list the various tasks you have completed performing professional project management according to PMI’s process groups. You would need 4,500 hours of professional experience leading and directing projects (with an undergrad degree) in order to qualify to take the PMP exam.

      Generally, I recommend being honest and ethical about logging the work hours that you have completed (for that I recommend creating an Excel spreadsheet or similar), and then passing that work experience by your current and previous managers so that should PMI decide to audit your application, you will be ready for it.

      Best of luck to you.

      Reply
  • November 17, 2016 at 8:06 am
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    Hi Brian,

    I have read your article regarding the pros and cons of CAPM. I have few questions regarding this certification as I am looking forward to build my career in Project management.
    Before that, a brief background about my education and work experience:
    I have completed my graduation as Bachelors in Technology and joined an IT company. I am working as a testing engineer and have an experience of 2 years.

    Is CAPM really a worth to move into Project Management as I can’t go for PMP directly because of no experience in Project management?

    What all i need to do to apply for a CAPM ?

    Does industry actually consider CAPM certified people without any project management experience.

    Your answers would be really helpful for me to proceed further as I don’t want to wait more to move into Project Management.

    Thanks in Anticipation!

    Regards,
    Mehak

    Reply
    • December 14, 2016 at 10:38 am
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      Hello Mehak,

      Since I wrote that article about whether or not it is a good idea to get CAPM certified, I have received more feedback about CAPM certification and how it has helped prospective project managers get into the field of project management. Generally, it does seem that several people have been able to use CAPM certification to get entry-level project management jobs, which can then lead toward more project management jobs and eventual PMP certification. As such, if you are interested in project management but are finding it hard to get professional project management work experience, perhaps the CAPM can help. And the information that you study for the CAPM exam will also help you when you eventually sit for the PMP exam.

      As for whether or not employers will consider people without project management experience who have the CAPM credential, you might consider asking the people in your Human Resources department to see what they think. I personally do think that if I see someone who has CAPM certification listed on a resume, it shows that they have done some study about project management fundamentals, and more importantly, it shows that they are interested in the domain of project management and in becoming a project management professional. That sort of eager attitude can go a long way.

      I hope this helps. Good luck to you in your project management career.

      Reply
  • January 13, 2017 at 6:50 am
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    Hello Brian,

    My name is Wojtek. I work at Lucidsamples, a well known samples producer and provider from London. We collaborate with music makers and DJ’s from across the World.
    We also cooperate with some major DAW authors like Propellerhead, major blogs and websites like Rekkerd or Blend.io and House-Mixes.
    Two years ago we have consolidated with another well established samples provider called Producer Pack.

    I think that we all could benefit from cooperation. We have several different options and we are open to new ideas. We are looking for people who know that the only way to success is cooperation with others.

    Please, write me a word or two if you want to know more from me. I will be happy to answer.

    Kind regards,
    Wojtek

    Reply
    • November 30, 2017 at 11:32 am
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      Hey there! Thanks for finding me. I’ll check out Lucidsamples. I haven’t been making music for a few years but am always on the verge of getting back into it. All the best with your company!

      Reply
  • May 8, 2018 at 4:50 pm
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    Hi Brian,
    I was doing some research on PMP and CAPM and came across your site http://entangled.com
    Awesome resource! But I have noticed you stopped answering questions 🙂
    Are you still active on that site? We need you there !

    Ilona

    Reply
    • May 26, 2018 at 12:43 pm
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      Hello Ilona,

      Please excuse me for not answering the questions on that site – it turned out I got so many questions, and many of them were the sort of questions I couldn’t answer – things like “do I have enough work experience to apply for the PMP” or “will CAPM certification help me in my career” – these are things that depend on a lot of factors I don’t have access to! What I did instead was try to create a variety of different posts that addressed the largest volume of questions that I received. So things like how to find out if you have enough project management work experience to apply for the PMP, how to calculate your project management work experience, and that sort of thing. I do hope that it is helpful even if I don’t have the time to answer everyone’s questions!

      Thank you for asking, and I hope everything is going well for you in your career!

      Reply

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