Hello,

I am looking for some suggestions on my career path. I have strong IT background both as technical and Project management consultant. I have around 9 years of IT experience out of which I have around 4 years of PM experience.

I recently passed the PMP from PMI. From speaking with recruiters, I know PMP clearly has value in getting a better job and salary.

I was looking into Six Sigma certification, which I am considering taking sometime in the future. I wanted to know what value will it add to my experience. I am pursuing career in IT management and higher. I want know the following:

Will having Six-Sigma:

fetch me higher salaried jobs :)?

help me do a better job at work?

help get higher positions?

help get better recognition?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi Lokesh!

After obtaining my PMP in 2002, I set my sights on the next hot certification at that time, Six Sigma.  I became a certified greenbelt.  This was in the spring of 2004 while I was in a manufacturing environment.  Here are my thoughts:

• Once you have the knowledge, no one can take it away.
• The certification could help you obtain a higher salary, providing you are ready and willing to move to that next position that demands PMP and Six Sigma
• The knowledge may help you do a better job.  Six Sigma is all about using numbers to help you do a better job at managing.  For me, I have always been a numbers guy, so the way I worked did not change much.  But for those folks that do not currently manage by numbers, this knowledge could help you do a better job at work.
• The number of PMP's in February 2007 was 218,328.  If you want to seperate yourself from these other PMP's then an aditional certification could not hurt.

With all that positive stuff said, now let me throw out a couple of words of caution:

1. I'm not sure Six Sigma is quite as hot as it was back in 2004 and 2005.  Again, it is going to vary by industry.  But I'm speaking from the fact that I have not seen near as many Six Sigma headlines as I used to.
2. If you are having fun and success within the project management space, then you might want to look at PMI's Program Manager Certification as your next goal.  More info here
3. Or, you might want to hold off just a little until the details emerge behind Microsofts new certification program.  More info here

Hope this helps!

J Black

www.pmconnection.com

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