Glassdoor estimates that a project manager in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, earns a monthly median base pay of AED 19,500 ($5,309).
With cash bonuses, commissions, tips, and profit sharing (collectively labeled additional compensation), the total median salary of project managers in Dubai is AED 42,000 ($11,434) per month. Indeed, project management is a high-paying career, not just in the United Arab Emirates but across the globe.
You, too, can become a project manager.
Start by leading more projects in your current work to accumulate on-the-field and hands-on project management experience, enroll in project management courses, and earn project management certifications.
There is one particular project management certification you can be sure will boost your employability in a high-paying project management role. This is the Project Management Professional or PMP® certification.
The PMP Certification
The Project Management Professional certification is a designation awarded by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the organization that wrote the project management playbook. The PMI publishes A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (the PMBOK® Guide), which lays down and continues to set project management standards.
The PMI grants PMP certification to those it acknowledges to have the leadership skills to handle teams, expertise in project management approaches, and commitment to adhere to the PMI quality standards.
Why Become PMP Certified
The PMP certification will give you a competitive advantage in the job market, increase your opportunities, and help you earn more.
1. Gain a Competitive Advantage
Nothing says project management professional quite like the PMP certification. You can say this is the gold standard of project management certifications. The PMP certification is proof positive that someone has the theoretical knowledge, technical expertise, and practical experience to successfully lead and handle organizationally meaningful and impactful projects.
If you are PMP certified and apply for a project management role, you can be confident that your PMP certification will make you stand out and be considered at least for an interview.
2. Work in Any Industry
The PMP certification proves you can lead any kind of project for any organization, whatever the industry. It says you have a deep understanding and firm grasp of project management concepts, methodologies, and frameworks. More importantly, it marks you as someone who can execute projects correctly to deliver positive results for your company, like reduced project costs and shortened output delivery timeframes, regardless of the project’s level or complexity.
Thus, a PMP certification significantly broadens your horizons and exponentially increases your job prospects and opportunities. You can remain in one company, bouncing from one project to another, or you can become a consultant, leading project after project for different organizations. With a PMP certification, you can choose how and where to work.
Note: Why limit yourself to the UAE? The world can be your oyster. You can attend International English Language Testing System or IELTS training. Abu Dhabi learning institutes offer this and other English language proficiency training to help you cast a worldwide net when looking for project management prospects.
3. Earn More
According to Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey—Twelfth Edition (2021), PMP holders earn more globally (16% higher median salary) and in the United States (32% higher median salary) than those without the certification.
In this survey that encompassed 40 countries, PMP-certified project managers also reported one-time salary raises, and 22% said their salary increased by at least 5% within the year.
Thus, if you have a PMP certification, you will have a bigger chance of landing a high-paying job and the foothold to climb higher on the corporate ladder and your company’s pay scale.
How to Get PMP Certification
To become PMP certified, you must meet the eligibility requirements and pass the PMP certification exam.
1. Meet Eligibility Requirements
You must fulfill the following criteria before registering for the PMP certification process.
Educational Attainment
You must have either of the following:
- A four-year bachelor’s degree
- A secondary education diploma or an equivalent educational credential
Practical Work Experience
You can only apply for the PMP certification if you have actual or hands-on experience leading projects. The amount of experience required varies with each candidate’s educational attainment.
- If you have a four-year degree, you need 36 months (three years) of project leadership experience.
- If you have a secondary education diploma, you must have 60 months (five years) of experience leading projects.
Your 36 or 60 months of practical experience must have been accumulated in the past eight years, and you must be able to document the details of every project you’ve handled, including the name of the entity where you’ve managed the project, the project duration, and your role and responsibilities.
Project Management Training
You must also complete 35 hours of project management-specific training. The efficient route is to enroll in a project management training course designed to improve your mastery of the topics that may be covered in the PMP certification exam.
2. Submit Your Application Documents and Pay
After gathering all the necessary documents and evidence to prove your educational attainment, hands-on project management experience, and project management training, register for an account at the PMI and fill out the application form.
Once your application has been accepted, you can pay your PMP examination fee. The fee is $284 for PMI members and $389 for non-members.
After paying the exam fee, you can choose your examination schedule. You will have the option to select a date from the available slots.
Note: The PMI conducts an audit of randomly selected applicants. If PMI selects you for an audit, you must submit the documentary evidence you gathered in the first step. This includes a copy of your degree, your training certification, and signed attestations from work supervisors that verify the work experiences you outlined in your application.
3. Take the Exam
You may take the exam in person at a PMI-authorized testing center, or you may take it online. It’s the same proctored exam, regardless of where you take it.
The PMP test consists of 180 multiple-choice, multiple-response, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and hot-area-on-graphic questions. You will be given 230 minutes to complete the test.
You will earn the PMP certification if you pass the test. If you don’t pass, you can attempt the exam two more times anytime within the year.
Ready to Fast Track Your Career Growth?
Whether you have been leading projects for years in a project management role or want to shift career paths and get into project management, the PMP certification must be one of your ultimate career goals.
PMP is one of the most credible certifications in the field of project management, and it will give you a competitive advantage, increase your opportunities, and improve your earning potential.
AUTHOR BIO
Jinky Elizan is a content writer for SEO Sherpa. She has more than 15 years’ experience producing content for SEO, inbound marketing and link building as well as copy for web pages and social media. She also develops WordPress websites.
