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Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI

Nightfall to PToN

MVM

to PToN

Re: PMP and MDM..?

I thought MDM stood for Mobile Device Management.

I really don't know if specializing is the best thing when it comes to IT. There are far more general purpose, jack of all trades jobs than there are specialized positions. I suppose if you are going to be specialized, then it probably pays to be specialized in something that is very high value. I have a friend who is a data storage engineer for Netapp, and his specialty is knowing Netapp storage obviously. He does very well for himself. I also have a friend who is a Database Manager, and his expertise in SQL is very high. He also does well for himself.

When it comes to the PMP, I have been tempted to go this route myself. The cool part is that you don't need to be specialized to earn a PMP. They can be used even with a jack of all trades position. It just makes you more of a project manager. The thing that has turned me off about the PMP are all the credits you have to earn to keep it up.

donoreo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
North York, ON

donoreo

Premium Member

said by Nightfall:

When it comes to the PMP, I have been tempted to go this route myself. The cool part is that you don't need to be specialized to earn a PMP. They can be used even with a jack of all trades position. It just makes you more of a project manager. The thing that has turned me off about the PMP are all the credits you have to earn to keep it up.

It has been proven over and over you do not need to know anything to be a PM, just having a PMP seems enough

PToN
Premium Member
join:2001-10-04
Houston, TX

PToN to Nightfall

Premium Member

to Nightfall
I agree with what you say about PMP, but based on the job descriptions about MDM (as inflated and over the top we know IT job requirements can be), it seems a bit more intricate than what you could find on a day to day basis. (»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma ··· nagement)

»ecm.elearningcurve.com/C ··· /134.htm

Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI

Nightfall

MVM

said by PToN:

I agree with what you say about PMP, but based on the job descriptions about MDM (as inflated and over the top we know IT job requirements can be), it seems a bit more intricate than what you could find on a day to day basis. (»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma ··· nagement)

»ecm.elearningcurve.com/C ··· /134.htm

Those jobs are also going to be rare.

When you are talking about being more marketable and specialized, there is a big difference.

Being specialized in something SOMETIMES means that you are sacrificing the general knowledge that you have for something specific. For example, I have a friend who is an Exchange expert. He has his certs in Exchange and AD, college degree, and lots of experience. At the same time though, through the years, he has grown weaker in other areas. He lost all his knowledge of SQL for instance.

That Master of Data Management looks interesting, but I don't have anyone in my area even looking for something like that. Why spend time specializing in that if no one is looking for it? If I was going to specialize at this stage in my career, it would be in Database Management.

donoreo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
North York, ON

donoreo to Nightfall

Premium Member

to Nightfall
said by Nightfall:

I thought MDM stood for Mobile Device Management.

I think in some cases it does.

Kilroy
MVM
join:2002-11-21
Saint Paul, MN

Kilroy

MVM

said by donoreo:

said by Nightfall:

I thought MDM stood for Mobile Device Management.

I think in some cases it does.

Hence why I ask people for the meanings of the acronyms they use. OSD may mean Operating System Deployment to you, but On Screen Display for others.

JB9
Stay Gold
Premium Member
join:2009-05-14

JB9 to Nightfall

Premium Member

to Nightfall
Yep, PMP's have never impressed me. (people holding them or the requirements/program itself)

Drex
Beer...The other white meat.
Premium Member
join:2000-02-24
Not There

1 edit

Drex to Nightfall

Premium Member

to Nightfall

said by Nightfall:I suppose if you are going to be specialized, then it probably pays to be specialized in something that is very high value. I have a friend who is a data storage engineer for Netapp, and his specialty is knowing Netapp storage obviously. He does very well for himself.

I would most certainly agree with this. I have a friend of mine who in my opinion is one of the leading storage guys in the nation. He's also 1099 and travels 100% of the time. He knows his stuff though. Also is very knowledgeable with VMware.
Personally I want to stay hands-on technical, but think I've sorta peaked with regards to that. I might have to go the IT management route in the near future.


Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI

Nightfall

MVM

said by Drex:

said by Nightfall:I suppose if you are going to be specialized, then it probably pays to be specialized in something that is very high value. I have a friend who is a data storage engineer for Netapp, and his specialty is knowing Netapp storage obviously. He does very well for himself.

I would most certainly agree with this. I have a friend of mine who in my opinion is one of the leading storage guys in the nation. He's also 1099 and travels 100% of the time. He knows his stuff though. Also is very knowledgeable with VMware.
Personally I want to stay hands-on technical, but think I've sorta peaked with regards to that. I might have to go the IT management route in the near future.

Thats the route I went. Went back to school, got my Masters, and worked on my soft skills in leadership, motivation, and teaching. I even started teaching as a adjunct professor at a local university to help with improving my teaching ability. Found out I love teaching, but thats another story.

Just about all IT management positions require some kind of bachleors degree with a masters preferred.

Drex
Beer...The other white meat.
Premium Member
join:2000-02-24
Not There

Drex

Premium Member

said by Nightfall:

Just about all IT management positions require some kind of bachleors degree with a masters preferred.

The bachelors I got. Would love to get the Masters, but many factors prevent that right now...the main two being time and money.

Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI

Nightfall to JB9

MVM

to JB9
said by JB9:

Yep, PMP's have never impressed me. (people holding them or the requirements/program itself)

Certifications are not impressive on their own. The only thing impressive on its own is experience. The degree and certs merely augment the experience. If someone went the route of getting the certs and degree, it does help matters.
Nightfall

Nightfall to Drex

MVM

to Drex
said by Drex:

said by Nightfall:

Just about all IT management positions require some kind of bachleors degree with a masters preferred.

The bachelors I got. Would love to get the Masters, but many factors prevent that right now...the main two being time and money.

I got my company to pay for my Masters. The time part of things is more difficult to obtain.

tubbynet
reminds me of the danse russe
MVM
join:2008-01-16
Gilbert, AZ

tubbynet to Nightfall

MVM

to Nightfall
said by Nightfall:

I suppose if you are going to be specialized, then it probably pays to be specialized in something that is very high value.

this.
obviously -- if you're highly specialized -- you need to be working within an enterprise that places high value on such a specialized resource and will ensure that he stays specialized.
otherwise -- you'll need to work at an oem/partner/var -- where you can specialize and do this specific type of work all the time. this is the route i've chosen. i can stay specialized in cisco routing and switching (and slowly expand on my own terms) and not be forced into learning something new or being pushed to be a "generalist". i am valuable because of my ability to solve complex routing and switching problems across a large number of platforms and underlying technologies.

in an "admin" role -- you start losing some of that -- simply by nature of your job. its tough.

q.

GILXA1226
MVM
join:2000-12-29
Dayton, OH

GILXA1226 to JB9

MVM

to JB9
said by JB9:

Yep, PMP's have never impressed me. (people holding them or the requirements/program itself)

So with the PMP cert, it all depends on how truthful people are on their time/educational requirements to get the PMP, and whether or not they get audited.

Since PMI only audit's about 5%, it's fairly easy to get by, and I've seen some PMP's who fall into this category. However I probably know more PMP's who don't. It all depends on your experience.

Full awareness: I am a PMP.

linicx
Caveat Emptor
Premium Member
join:2002-12-03
United State

linicx

Premium Member

It sounds like a Masters in Engineering would be appropriate. Maybe not.

azimuth
@comcastbusiness.net

azimuth to donoreo

Anon

to donoreo
said by donoreo:

It has been proven over and over you do not need to know anything to be a PM, just having a PMP seems enough

I disagree -- PMs must have 3 critical skills:

1. Schedule conference calls and Webex meetings, as often as possible, whether needed or not.

2. Create meaningless Gantt charts that no one will ever look at again.

3. Respond to every query with "We'll need a change order authorization for that" while exhibiting no technical knowledge whatsoever.

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot

Premium Member

4. Utilize every PM phrase that can be used at any opportunity to ensure that you assert yourself as the dominant personality in every communication with someone that's not a PM.
Moffetts
join:2005-05-09
San Mateo, CA

Moffetts

Member

Mitigate scope creep while packaging the deliverables for the stakeholders.

azimuth
@comcastbusiness.net

azimuth

Anon

... and don't forget to "reach out" and "circle back around" to everyone whenever possible.

Damn, I really hate those expressions.

JB9
Stay Gold
Premium Member
join:2009-05-14

JB9 to azimuth

Premium Member

to azimuth
LOL, glad I'm not alone in this boat..