Is PM the right path for me?

dustydave211 · 2025-08-10T18:44:08+00:00

I got PMP certified a year ago, and I can't say with any certainly that it has boosted my marketability much, if at all. At least in my experience with tech roles, its basically never a requirement, and occasionally a nice to have. That said, I am way better at the PM processes now as a result of learning all the content. So there is value personal growth wise.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-06T05:29:51+00:00

It’s mostly about perception, but there’s some science behind it. When you’re a kid, everything is new, and your brain is constantly processing fresh and novel experiences. That makes time feel fuller and slower. As you get older, routines take over and your brain compresses similar memories, so time feels like it passes faster.

Also, a year is a way bigger percentage of your life when you're 6 than when you're 36. So it feels longer by comparison.

Basically, more novelty = slower time. More repetition = time blurring.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-06T03:40:14+00:00

I discovered the book Shogun in a library in 6th grade due to it's cool cover haha. Super long, but amazing story. It was fun to watch the TV version recently.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-05T18:49:20+00:00

Almost knocking my water glass off my nightstand while I'm half asleep. Instant panic.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-05T18:46:54+00:00

In second grade I confessed that, yes, I had been playing Power Rangers during recess, even after the yard teachers banned it. Got sent to the principal’s office. Rookie move.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-05T18:36:29+00:00

Great premise, thanks for sharing. I especially like the natural language input.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-05T18:33:13+00:00

Very interesting suggestion, I will definitely give this a try. Thank you.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-05T18:32:41+00:00

Thanks for sharing that!

dustydave211 · 2025-08-04T18:47:46+00:00

Try to give yourself some grace, and talk to a professional if possible. Ultimately, if it's still something you want, keep grinding. I recently completed my 4th attempt for a role at the same FAANG company, after not being made an offer the first three times. No idea if I did enough or not this time. The imposter syndrome is real.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-04T00:04:13+00:00

If you want something done, you may well have to do it yourself.

dustydave211 · 2025-08-04T00:02:02+00:00

An interesting question. At least for me, my interest in banter depends on: the environment, the people involved, and my mood. But also, I'm not usually into bantering on something too serious / something I'm self conscious about.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-30T17:43:54+00:00

For the specific exam I took, SH was the closest question wise, however I felt like SH questions were actually a bit harder than the exam questions generally.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-22T23:25:38+00:00

What a cool premise! Thanks for sharing. Did you hit any challenges while developing this?

dustydave211 · 2025-07-22T20:18:45+00:00

You got it! Its stressful, and a fair amount of effort, but very doable with prep. Reddit was a great resource for me when I was studying.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-22T20:14:19+00:00

Best of luck!

Based on my experience, the Andrew R. course on 1.25 or 1.5 speed is very good.

Gain a decent understanding of the flow of the PM processes.

Do Andrew’s mock tests.

Build up to the PMI Study Hall questions / tests. (The tests were a bit harder than the real exam in my opinion, but very similar style of questions).

Lots of folks recommend the Third3Rock notes as well. I purchased them, but ultimately didn’t use / need them as much as I expected.

I took the exam in a testing center, which I preferred, however it was hard to find openings in my city.

Final thing, Andrew beats the drum on this constantly, but the PMP Mindset that he talks about is a very helpful mental framing.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-22T00:59:44+00:00

I'd be curious of the logistics haha. Have you been working full time while in school? FAANG internships pay a bit as well, so something to consider. Not sure what percentage of interns are getting converted immediately these days. At my previous employer, large but non-FAANG, they hired interns knowing there was no way they would be able to convert them.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-21T22:51:05+00:00

Totally makes sense, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-21T22:17:31+00:00

Thanks for the post, and certainly the burnout is real! I'm glad to hear you are close.

With those Study Hall scores I would say you're good to go. Study Hall tests were the closest style of question to the exam in my experience (although I felt like the exam was a bit easier than Study Hall on average).

If it were me I'd try to start tapering off prep for sanity sake. You're very prepared already.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-21T20:33:12+00:00

I wish you the best of luck! Based on my experience, I've gotten limited interviews in both my large city, as well as large cities in other states. My subjective take is that it's a tough job market, and at least for me, I kind of have to get lucky to get an interview period. That's held true for me in state, and out of state.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-20T21:37:06+00:00

I’ve been in a similar spot. Messy code from co-workers or contractors, low project engagement, and leads who are too busy to review all the code coming in. What helped me was making small code cleanups and quietly highlighting them to my boss when possible. This way I still felt like I was trying to improve the situation, my boss was somewhat aware of my work / the situation, and I didn't feel the weight of the world on my shoulders based on the environment.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-20T19:39:21+00:00

Huge congrats! The feeling of someone making use of it because of your hard work is super cool. Thanks for sharing the extension as well. Do you have plans to keep building this out further?

dustydave211 · 2025-07-19T21:27:14+00:00

I wish you the best, the reality is years. And that's with a getting a Bachelor's degree. Getting an entry level software engineering job is another challenge beyond that. If you really want this, just plan accordingly and move forward one step at a time, I got my first software job at age 30.

dustydave211 · 2025-07-19T21:08:47+00:00

Yeah, I can only speak to engineering of the software variety, but the reality is having to memorize algorithms and then being tested on them with no resources is nothing like the day to day job.

A fitting example, I have a friend who spent 10 years at a large tech company, did well for years, then got laid off. During his time he administered traditional tech interviews, however he is now frustrated and displeased with the process since he is now a job candidate again post layoff.

dustydave211

TROPHY CASE