Continuing Education Certificates

[Temporary_User]

Has anyone taken any courses towards or finished on of these?
Other than the information you've learned, has having the certificate helped you in your career? How so?

I'm just finished my degree, but am thinking about taking one of these to give me a boost on my resume. Probably begin with a certificate in Marketing.
It appears many of these are online courses. To me that reads, you aren't going to get anything from taking these courses other than:
A) The knowledge you gain from reading the textbook
B) The certificate you eventually receive
So if there is no gain in employment from the actual certificate, I would be better off just picking up a relevant text and reading it, saving myself the money on the course. Am I correct in this thought process?

Lastly, do you think it will matter much where I receive the certificate from? I'm currently debating between UofC and SAIT.

[AFireInside]

I've been considering this as well, just to offer more flexibility in the future should I choose to leave my position...... I'd be curious to know if they are handy at all...

[worth]

I took a 100hr (might be more, can't remember now) project management course online. I don't know how it would look to potential employers, but I got a lot out of the course.

From the material I learned in the course, i've been able to develop an actual Project Management Procedure for my company. Something that they didn't have before.

The company paid for my school and they get a procedure out of it I guess. So it balances out.

I would say don't take it to impress a potential employer. Take it because you want the knowledge or information in the course. I'm glad I took mine. I would take more in the future.

[TylerSVT]

Do you have a Bachelors Degree already?

[worth]

I don't know if you're talking to me or not, but yes, I have a Bachelors Degree.

[Rathji]

In the end, employers care about people who have ability to do things. If the course you are taking will give you the ability to do things they need, then that is all that matters. Sometimes HR types will filter based on courses/degrees/certifications etc, but in the end it is you and your skill that will get and keep you a job.

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by worth

I took a 100hr (might be more, can't remember now) project management course online. I don't know how it would look to potential employers, but I got a lot out of the course.

From the material I learned in the course, i've been able to develop an actual Project Management Procedure for my company. Something that they didn't have before.

The company paid for my school and they get a procedure out of it I guess. So it balances out.

I would say don't take it to impress a potential employer. Take it because you want the knowledge or information in the course. I'm glad I took mine. I would take more in the future.

Mind if I ask which site you took it from? I am interested in the same thing. PM me if you want.

[AFireInside]

I also have a double major bachelors degree and I have a certificate on my way to a diploma in a designation from a major Canadian University.

I'm just curious if the courses are actually useful, I've found some I think would be interesting but don't know much about these certificates, and if they are worthwhile.

[worth]

Originally Posted by psicodude

Mind if I ask which site you took it from? I am interested in the same thing. PM me if you want.

I took this course:

http://www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourse...projmanonline/

My certificate is 120 hours. 90 hours for the course material, and 30 hours for the final paper.

Takes a semester to do basically. I did mine last year. Started in January, finished April or May. This was while I was working full time obviously.

[WilsonFourTwo]

^^ And for the record, that course is very highly regarded.

It was built/refined in co-operation with PMI and a couple of major local businesses (ATCO being one as I recall).

Unless the course has been drastically changed, you should be well prepared to obtain your PMP (or higher) credential straight afterwards.

[worth]

Good to know it is highly regarded. I have all the course material printed out on my desk. It fills up a 3" ringed binder. I reference it quite often, especially when I was developing my company's PM process.

I am actually doing my application for PMP right now.

The problem is I have worked on about 45 projects in the last 3 years, so the application is taking a long time to fill out.

Do you have your PMP Wilson?

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by worth

Good to know it is highly regarded. I have all the course material printed out on my desk. It fills up a 3" ringed binder. I reference it quite often, especially when I was developing my company's PM process.

I am actually doing my application for PMP right now.

The problem is I have worked on about 45 projects in the last 3 years, so the application is taking a long time to fill out.

Do you have your PMP Wilson?

Oddly enough.....no. I did register a CAPM designation several years ago (primarily a paperwork exercise at the time), but that was just for the sake of having it. I believe it needs renewal every four years, so it may have even expired at this point?

To be honest - I got into the business before most people recognized it as a business. That allowed me to kind of chart my own course, and designations/education weren't nearly as important as results. It's allowed me to be lazy and coast on my network and previous successes. That wouldn't fly now......you need education and/or designations just to get a chance at delivering results.

As for the Mt. Royal course itself - I meant what I said. The course has a reputation as a strong program that cannot be passed without putting in a lot of effort. That makes it VERY valuable.

[Envitro]

I took the in-class version of the PM Extension Certificate, and it was useful, but I've been a PM for a while now so it was mostly just a refresher on some of the theory.
However, the notes and the course material did help me when studying for my PMP.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by Envitro

I took the in-class version of the PM Extension Certificate, and it was useful, but I've been a PM for a while now so it was mostly just a refresher on some of the theory.
However, the notes and the course material did help me when studying for my PMP.

Admittedly, my reference library has a lot of stuff from the Mt. Royal course.....generally stuff that co-workers or employees had in their reference binders that I found useful.

It's funny that you mention "....a refresher on some of the theory". I'm actually completing my bachelor's degree right now (something else I've put off for far too long), but since PMI certifications require regular refresher courses in order to maintain the educational hours, they're the perfect setup for life long learning.

[worth]

Bump...For the PMP's or those thinking of it...

I procrastinated a lot obviously, since I was talking about doing my PMP 16 months ago in this thread. In that time I've submitted the longest application form i've ever completed (probably took upwards of 25 hours to compile), been accepted by PMI, become a member of PMI, avoided being audited by PMI, submitted payment for the PMP Exam, and signed up for the Mount Royal PMP Exam Prep Course.

I had the first exam prep class last night. I had scheduled myself to write the PMP exam 2 days after the course ended, but I was quickly told attending the class alone was not enough to pass the PMP exam.

So I intend to complete the classes by the beginning of June (30 hours total) and then spend the next 3 months studying (approximately 60 hours) in anticipation of taking the exam in September.

Any other PMP's or aspiring PMP's here?

I have to say, the Continuing Education classes that Mount Royal puts on are all top notch. From the Extension Certificate I took in 2010, and the course i'm taking now, they are all extremely professional and useful.

[V]

Originally Posted by Envitro

I took the in-class version of the PM Extension Certificate, and it was useful, but I've been a PM for a while now so it was mostly just a refresher on some of the theory.
However, the notes and the course material did help me when studying for my PMP.

MRC came to our company to teach the in class version in 07. About 6 months of classes for 3 hours a week or something like that. It was a great course, but I never bothered writing the PMP exam. That's not where I wanted my career to go, so it wasn't worth it for me. I could see this course being very important for someone who was interested in chasing that career path. There seems to be a lot of PMP's these days, you almost need it just to be considered.

[Robotic]

I just recently finished the Business Analyst program through Mount Royal Link here
I was extremely impressed with the program and learned a lot. It's helped me transfer into a new role within my company. I suggest checking out MRU and seeing what other programs they offer. If you find anything interesting, they usually have open houses on that program discussing what to expect. Free too.

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by Temporary_User

It appears many of these are online courses. To me that reads, you aren't going to get anything from taking these courses other than:
A) The knowledge you gain from reading the textbook
B) The certificate you eventually receive

(I realize I'm responding to an old post)

A properly done online course is more than just reading the textbook. Different institutions set them up differently, but they all have some form of interaction and feedback. Really the only difference is that you "read" the lectures instead of sitting in a lecture hall (though I took one online course where the professor actually recorded all the lectures with a video camera). You still have the assignments and exams (generally open book), and usually some form of discussion forum. In fact, having taught both traditional "lecture" style courses and online courses, I actually find I have more interaction and discussion with students in the online courses. For it to work well you do need to have the instructor put in the time and effort though.

[ah123]

I am in the process of finishing my BA certificate from MRU and it has been quite good so far. A lot of BA postings lately are asking for some sort of "specialized" training on top of the standard degree/diploma+experience.

[worth]

For anyone who is looking to take the PMP exam, I wrote it last week and passed, so if you have any questions about that, just send me a PM or post it here.