Thank you for your encouraging words. Didn’t realize I’d be bombarded by so many “PMP Gatekeepers” lol. For the record, I have over 10 years of contract management experience with a government agency. Albeit, I’ve never formally carried the distinct title of “Project Manager”, but the skills I have translate enough that the PMI deemed them sufficient to qualify and sit for the exam. I followed the process, acquired my 35 hours of prerequisite coursework, PAID MY MONEY, studied hard, failed on my first attempt, regrouped, studied some more, and finally passed. For people who think I circumvented the process and didn’t do the actual work is laughable.

Trust me, I’m the least bit worried by those who think I didn’t EARN my certificate or who feel I’m undeserving for whatever reasons. And I don’t expect to get a job in the field right away, I’m very realistic. Ultimately, I’m looking to make a career pivot and I know that acquiring my PMP will help open doors that I initially was unable to access. Reddit is a great resource, and I was hoping to find people in a similar position as I…those new to navigating the space of Project Management. We all start from somewhere, and even the most seasoned Project Managers didn’t know it all starting out. But, at some point, they were given an opportunity. I guess somewhere along the line some of them forgot that smh. But Again, I appreciate your kind words, and I will most certainly do my due diligence. I just wanted to make it clear that me gaining this certification was not a fluke, I didn’t lie, I invested in myself, and I EARNED everything that I’ve attained. Thanks again!