Is it necessary to get PMP certification for a network engineer?

AnneBrown

Should i also get PMP certification if i become a network engineer?

ThadPVillani

Of course, PMP is not only an IT-related certificate, but also beneficial to your work life

LordQarlyn

I agree, with a the usual caveats. Getting a PMP requires an investment of time and resources, and has some steep requirements. Five years of non-overlapping project management experience, 7500 hours of leading & directing projects, 4500 if you have a four-year degree, and 35 hours of project management training. And it is my understanding the PMI requires you to actually have all this before they will approve you taking the PMP exam, unlike ISC2 which allows you to test now and meet the requirements later. It is a great cert to have without question and I am preparing to pursue it myself, I think I just barely met the 4500 hour threshold, only because I will be in a career path that could get me a PM job. The training and preparing for the PMP and hopefully passing the exam will provide a short-term and long-term benefit, it will allow me to perform better at my new job.

But the PMP by itself won't open doors for IT fields. For instance, if I were to apply for an IT security job, non-management, and I had my PMP while my competitors didn't, my PMP probably would not give me an edge over the other candidates, and may even work against me.

However if you meet all the requirements, then definitely go for it, having PMP won't hurt and could easily open doors in IT leadership positions.

yoba222

I wouldn't. Managing a project and configuring a network have little to do with each other in my opinion. The exception to this would be a project manager who was once a network engineer that is managing a network-related project. That's ideal for that project. But not the other way around. Just muddies the perceived expertise of the network engineer.

beads

The PMP is a great learning tool for anyone to have under your belt but to be frank, technical people rarely jump for glee when speaking to PMs in general. Most times we treat PMs more like note takers and project secretaries than peers. So it has some downsides. Upside is that the training will help you understand business, project management and goal organization.

Helpful at the Security Manager role and above but hardly necessary at the same time. SANS made PMP training part of its curriculum many years ago and has been helpful in many ways with my project management but also not a deciding factor for any client work over the years.

- b/eads

LonerVamp

Is getting a PMP something I would suggest to someone to become a Network Engineer? Of course not. I'd suggest getting Network Engineering certs.

Is getting a PMP something that would build useful skills? If you like working with details, tracking tasks, doing checklists, organizing people to get work done, planning work, and then checking things off as done, then absolutely it will help your professional skill set.

In addition, it's useful to get an MBA as well, as you can gain skills and insight and learn the jargon of the business management side of things.

AnneBrown

ThadPVillani said:

Of course, PMP is not only an IT-related certificate, but also beneficial to your work life

Got it. Did you study PMP?

DFTK13

If you’re just focusing on network engineering, my suggestion would be to look to certs such as CCNA and eventually CCNP to move up in the field. That would put you on solid grounding. However, Nowadays we’re seeing a convergence of what were previously separate roles such as sys administration, network engineering and development. My advice would be to keep learning about various technologies on top of network engineering, such as automation with scripting and configuration platforms such as python and ansible. Cloud skills would only help you such as azure and aws certifications. Of course not every situation is the same, the rule is...pursue what is most relevant and what will help your current situation. But it’s just been my observation that networking, cloud, virtualization, automation/scripting are the big four that will make you a very well rounded person with many options in different directions. Good luck. 

JDMurray

Most network engineers do not have a PMP certification, so I would say "no." If you already are a Project Manager then I would say "yes." PM experience is required to get the PMP cert.