Why Should You Be A PMI Member?
Are you looking to become a project manager? Do you work as a project manager but don’t have a PMP or PMI certification and want to get one? Or are you already a project manager who wants to keep up with the community?
Whoever you are, you need to ensure you get a PMI Membership and become a PMI Member.
Let me explain why.
But first, what is PMI?
What is PMI?
Project Management Institute(PMI) is the standard for project management. Initially established as a non-profit in the 1960’s, PMI focused on improving project management as a community. Through the initial founding members, they were able to standardize project management throughout the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s.
Finally, they landed on what we call today the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK).
Certifications
Micro-Certifications
Initially establishing the well-known and coveted Project Management Professional certifiication in 1984, PMI since established multiple certifications:
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Project Management Professional (PMP): 1984
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Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM): 2003
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Program Management Professional (PgMP): 2007
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PMI-Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP): 2008
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PMI-Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP): 2008
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PMI-Agile Certified Professional (PMI-ACP): 2011
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PMI-Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA): 2014
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Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP): 2014
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Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM): 2020
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Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM): 2021
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Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC): 2021
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Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC): 2021
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PMI-Construction Professional (PMI-CP)
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PMO-Certified Practitioner (PMO-CP)
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PMO-Certified Consultant (PMO-CC)
There are also multiple Micro-Certifications:
As you can see, there are plenty of options to upskill in your project management career.
You only need to be open to applying yourself.
The certifications are only the start for PMI, they also provide:
Support
Resources
Networking
Exam Support and Discounts
Career Support
A PMI membership benefits start immediately upon someone’s certification journey. From the costs of the exam to saving you money on exam study materials – let’s show why a PMI membership is worth your money.
Exam Fees
The first thing that PMI supports their members with a discounted price on exam fees.
Just for the PMP alone, you save $170 – and seeing that a one-year memebers is $159, you
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Non-Member PMP Cost: $595
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PMP Member Cost: $425
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PMI Membership Cost: $159
From these numbers, you get a savings of $10 and you get all the benefits of PMI as well!
And, if you are a student, your student membership only costs $32/year = $137 of savings!
Studying Resources
A membership with PMI also get you access to free study materials, to include free digital downloads of the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), Agile Practice Guide, and all the Practice Standards, Frameworks, Practice Guides, and PMI Books.
On the day I am writing this article, the PMBOK, on Amazon is $60 for a physical book and $57 for a kindle version. So, on top of your $10 savings with a membership exam cost vs. membership costs – you are already at up to $67 of savings.
So, why aren’t you a PMI member yet?
You can also use PMI to search for a PMI Authorized Training Partner – allowing you to meet your certification preparation course hour requirements for the exam.
Getting Additional Resources With Your PMI Membership
On top of study materials, PMI offers multiple resources that are different for your pre- and post-certification journey. Stretching from a podcast to paid courses, PMI has everything you need.
“Projectified” is a podcast that PMI operates and controls.
You don’t actually NEED a membership to get this Podcast – but it is a great resource that produces some awesome content.
Publishing shorter (generally under 30 min) podcasts, I personally love listening to this podcast while in the car.
With updated topics and some great individuals from the field – there is something for everyone in this podcast.
PMI publishes on-demand webinars. These webinars are pulled from live events done throughout PMI. You are able to pick webinars on topics like:
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Aerospace and Defense
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Artificial Intelligence
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Human Resources PM
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Procurement
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And So many more!
Watching webinars on projectmanagement.com – you can earn professional development units (PDUs) from these events. To make it easier on you, those PDUs are automatically loaded to your dashboard, making your life easier and preventing you from having to submit your PDUs.
Free Courses
If you are debating learning about a new project management topic, you need to check out the free courses.
With courses around “The Basics of Scrum”, “Business Continuity”, and the highly recommended/popular course “Generative AI Overview for Project Management“, these free online courses serve as entry points into new concepts.
These free courses are great ways to determine if you want to move into a different area or if you are interested in a new and different topic.
On top of the free webinars and courses, there are also paid e-learning and mico-credential resources
Micro-credentials allow you to highlight strengths you have in specific areas. Each creditional comes with an online course and exam.
There are no applications and testing centers for each of these, but they do come with fancy digital badges for your LinkedIn page or resume.
Oh, and these micro-credentials also come with discounted rates for PMI members vs. non-PMI members.
E-Learning
PMI also offers various e-learning courses. These courses are longer and more robust than micro-credentials.
These courses also come with higher PDUs and CEU numbers. With the increased number of videos, concepts, and resources within each course’s topics – you end up with higher price tags.
Again, though, with your PMI membership, you can save up to $100 per class at your discounted rate.
On Projectmagement.com, you get free templates to use on your projects.
There is almost a template for everything here. From project plans and presentations to checklists – you will find something that helps serve as a resource for your projects.
I’ve used some of these templates myself. I downloaded it and then tailored it to what I needed. These templates are great when you are stuck on a topic and need inspiration for your project planning, reporting, or even presentations
A key feature when you become a PMI member is the networking and community resources your membership provides. These resources encompass:
Global Community
Local Chapters
Volunteer Opportunities
PMImpact
PMI Educational Foundations
Project Managers Without Borders
Community
The global community for PMI encompasses much of what we already talked about. By going to ProjectManagement.com – as a PMI member, you are able to create a profile.
In your profile, you have an overview with your about me and details, including a resume, projects, contributions, volunteering, and, of course, connections.
Community Central
Within the community section, you have “Community Central,” which allows you to post topics of your choice and allow other members to reply. You can post questions, thoughts, or announcements.
As a PMI member, you are not expected to volunteer, but you are highly encouraged to do so.
With a database that stretches worldwide, down to the local chapter level of detail – you can easily find a volunteer opportunity. And with PMI offering every PMI certification holder the ability to volunteer hours towards their PDUs for recertification – it’s almost crazy not to get out there and give back to your local community.
The best part is that you can choose how you earn these hours. You can volunteer at local chapter meeting, in your local community, or with one of PMi’s programs like PMImpact and PMI Educational Foundation.
From PMI’s website:
“PMImpact is a call to action to make your mark on the world by inspiring, demonstrating, and enabling social impact.”
This program encourages PMI members to positively impact society through their project management skills. In support of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, project managers can focus on improving our world for future generations.
So far, according to PMI’s “Hours of Impact: Taking Action for Positive Change.” PMI have so far:
Pledged 335k hours since 2021
Represented by 123 countries
80+ chapters pledging support
1,100+ participating projects and service activities
If you’d like to participate with PMImpact, check it out at PMi.org/hours-for-impact/ and sign up today!
Another great program by PMI, PMI Educational Foundation with a mission to:
Empower young people to unlock their potential through project management, benefiting both their personal and academic journeys.
This program supports programs like:
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Children International
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Formula 1 in Schools
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Special Olympics
And this program operates off donations by members, which you can find HERE.
Local PMI Chapters for PMI Members
If you have a PMI membership, you must sign up with your local PMI chapter.
When starting your PMI journey and deciding to join PMI, joining your local PMI chapter is critical to your networking and engaging with the community.
Each PMI chapter has its involvement with all the programs stated above, including monthly chapter meetings. At these chapter meetings, those with and without a chapter membership can engage with experts in the community while listening to guest speakers.
Networking and learning from each of your peers is a critical aspect of your PMI membership. When I first started off, I gained the confidence I needed to become a full-fledged project manager during my attendance at the PMI San Diego chapters meeting.
I cannot encourage and stress enough the importance of joining a PMI chapter in your local area. The annual fee is not overly expensive, and you can get additional discounts on events put on by your local chapter.
Head to PMI.org, find your local chapter – and attend the next chapter meeting.
PMI Membership Career Support
PMI also offers career resources outside their career-advancing certifications through their “Career Central”.
Career Central is a spot with everything you need to support your career as a project manager. Areas that the Career Central covers are:
Advance Your Career
Here, you are provided information to start planning your career path, fully capitalizing on that PMI membership. You’ll find information on what move you should make next, where to start for a project management career, and explanations on the PMI Triangle.
An area I jumped into a few years ago as I transitioned out of the US Military was the “What’s Your Next Move” – where they go over different aspects of careers in:
Construction PM
Consulting PM
Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) PM
Financial Services PM
Project Management Office (PMO)
This area of Career Central gives new project management professionals an idea of what they need to know about each area.
Example: I currently work in financial services, and my experience vastly differs from my friends in construction. Our framework is the same, but terminology and “how you work” drastically differ. If I decide to switch to a career in the PMO, I would want to go to the Career Central for a quick overview of PMOs.
Project Management Career Advice
If you are looking for career advice, this is the spot to turn to. With your PMI membership, you can access articles and detailed information on how to jumpstart your career.
With articles ranging from finding mentors to taking your shot at getting a promotion. You can look here for information to help drive your career to the next level.
Job-Focused PMI Reports
Here, you will find multiple articles explaining research worldwide on project management impacts in the workforce.
The biggest document from this section is the yearly “Global Project Management: Jobs Trends” report, with the 2024 year report up now.
In this report, you get a detailed view from around the world on technological developments, agility, talent gaps, and finding out where project management professionals and other PMI professionals are in high demand.
Split up by regions of the world – you truly get a good look at what areas you need to concentrate on for your career.
Now is the Time to Get Your PMI Membership!
PMI.org is more than just a central hub for managing your membership; it is a website filled with the resources you require to advance your career.
Whether you are working in the project management field, an aspiring project manager, or a veteran, PMI.org has something to offer you with its PMI membership. It is up to you to take advantage of it.
With everything mentioned, it’s easy to see the $159 for your PMI membership gets you far with discounted rates on PMI exams, free access to training, and various free webinars. You get front-seat access to the PM network and the ability to learn and grow within your local community.
Your PMI membership gives you access to a project management dedication job board and various PMI publications you cannot access without the membership.
If you are, in any form, a project manager, join the PMI community through a PMI membership and start growing as a project manager.
-Russ Parker
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