Chris:

In fact I have.

I’ve been thinking of studying for the CAPM certification next summer.

John:

But how can you do that, you’re still in college?  

I thought you needed a lot of hours in project team experience.

Chris:

There are a few requirements to qualify for taking the exam.

The first is that I have to have a high school diploma, which obviously I do because I am in college now.

John:

Yeah, I knew about that requirement. 
But what else?  You apparently know a lot about this.

 Chris:

Only what I’ve read on PMI.ORG and what I’ve seen on some of the internet job sites.

There are companies that are looking for the CAPM certification.

Anyway, besides the educational background requirement, PMI requires one of two additional requirements.

At least 1,500 hours of project team work experience –and/or– 23 contact hours of project management education.

A friend of mine at school passed the CAPM exam last year after she took the CAPM prep course through PMCAMPUS.com.

She said the online training not only provided the necessary 23 contact hours for her to qualify to take the exam, but it did a great job in preparing her for passing the exam.

John:

Well now I’m a little confused.

You said 1,500 hours experience –or– 23 contact hours of project management education; because I have the necessary experience, does that mean I don’t need the online training?

Chris:

Listen, I’m just a college kid, but I would recommend you take the training too.  (You can have both – the experience and the training).

The online courses at PMCAMPUS.com give you the 23 contact hours, but in your case, (and more importantly), it prepares you to take the exam. 

It is not an easy exam!

John:

So why do you want to take the certification exam?

Chris:

Because project management is a career track that I am very interested in.

CAPM is a certification that can help college kids like me in getting started in project management.

There is a lot of opportunities.

I mentioned the internet job board – just do a search for CAPM certification, and you will get a number of hits.  Now that is opportunity!

So John, why do you want to take the CAPM exam?

John:

I guess because it will help my career.

I’m not really looking to leave the company, but I’ve seen all of the PMPs here with great assignments, but my projects have been less than exciting.

Chris:

John, the CAPM certification will also fit your needs too. 
It will help me get started in project management, but it can also help you continue in project management.

John:

Michael said something similar to me.

Because I don’t have the necessary 4,500 hours of experience to qualify for the PMP examination, at least the experience I have now qualifies me for the CAPM certification. 

Mike said that a CAPM bullet on my resume will help me get job opportunities inside the company?

Chris:

So are you convinced?

John:

I am now.

Mike has been a mentor to me, and I think he speaks from experience. 

In fact, I remember that he told me he used the PMCAMPUS.com course for preparing to take his PMP exam.

Chris:

Well my friend at school said that PMCAMPUS.com offered exactly what she needed to pass the CAPM exam.

John:

So are you going to sign up with PMCAMPUS.com online course to prepare for the examination?

Chris:

I will, but I’m not going to wait until the summer. 

I need to start preparing now.

John:

You know Chris, you have the wisdom of someone much older than twenty years old.

Chris

Thanks John.

I get that from my Dad. 

He’s a PMP and knows a lot about this stuff.

John:

I think it’s interesting that the CAPM certification can be applicable to someone in college like you, and also someone like me who has been out of college for five years.

Chris:

My Dad told me that the CAPM certification was designed that way. 

You and I fit two distinct groups that can benefit from the certification, but that also our companies can benefit from the training we receive too.

John:

Do you mean like the online training from PMCAMPUS.com?

Chris:

Oh yeah.  Dad told that when company resources (like us) are trained and certified in project management, the company benefits too. 

John:

Maybe we can team up and get ready for the CAPM examination together?

Chris:

Sure, we can both signup with PMCAMPUS.com and take the online courses at the same time.

John

That’s great. We better get this day started though, or I might need to look at the job boards for real!

Okay. I’ll do some more research on preparing for and taking the CAPM exam.

Maybe we can meet after work to plan our future!

John

You college kids are excitable aren’t you?  Let’s get to work…