The Project Management Institute® (PMI®) is a non-profit organization that works to advance the field of Project Management. PMI is the leading authority on all things Project Management. Joining PMI can help out any Project Manager regardless of where they are in their career. PMI is divided into Chapters based on location. Joining the local chapter is a crucial step to anyone serious about Project Management.
In the Washington DC Metropolitan area alone there are several PMI chapters including the Silver Spring, Montgomery County, and Washington DC chapters. In addition there are many more chapters just outside the DC Metro area including the Central Virginia, Baltimore, and Southern Maryland chapters. The local chapters offer networking, a great body of knowledge to draw from, and the wisdom and experience of thousands of local Project Managers. The local chapters hold meetings, lectures, seminars, and all manner of gatherings to spread knowledge and experience. For example, the Silver Spring Chapter of the PMI will be having a guest speaker from the General Services Administration on November 11, 2009. The Washington DC chapter will also be having a dinner meeting with Tom Davis, The Director of Federal Government Affairs, on November 4, 2009.
Being a member of these chapters is the perfect way to connect to other Project Managers and companies in your area. As a member of your local PMI chapter, you will also receive their publication, full of useful information about what’s going on in the world of Project Management. In addition to this, members receive discounts on a variety of Project Management resources ranging from credential exams to books and materials.
In addition to the local chapters, PMI also has online Communities of Practice where Project Managers can build network opportunities around the world. This gives yet another useful source of information. The Communities contain wikis, blogs, online discussions and many other resources.
As a member of the local Washington DC chapter and a Registered Education Provider, Off Peak Training recognizes the value of local chapter membership and the ability to direct and lead project teams efficiently and within scheduling and budgeting limitations. Holding a PMP can also greatly increase a professional’s salary and reputation among potential employers. In fact ZDNET’S Tech Republic organization conducted a survey of the top paying certifications in the technology industry; the PMP came out on top averaging over $100k! Before you get your PMP, get involved in one of the PMI chapters! Doing this will put you in a position to gain the maximum amount of knowledge before you get your certification.
Off Peak Training will be conducting a 5 day bootcamp class for the PMP certification. The class will be taking place from November 16 to November 20 in the Northern Virginia area. Our educators are professionals that truly enjoy imparting their knowledge to others in order to help them attain their certifications. Training through the right educator is an extremely valuable experience and Off Peak Training can give you that experience through the quality of our educators and the convenience of our classes.
Off Peak Training, a Reston, VA based company, offers public and private classes to help prepare business professionals for the PMP®, CAPM®, PMI-SP®, CISSP®, CAPM®, CISA®, and is a Registered Education Provider for the Project Management Institute.
Without Chris Talmont and the Off Peak Training Bootcamp training there is no way I would have been able to successfully pass the PMP certification test after 5 days of prep-time. Your structured program helped me quickly understand and quickly interconnect the many pieces of the PMBOK® manual/process – and that information stays with me today – 2 months later.