CAPM Certification: Career Opportunities, Cost and Salary

Certified Associate in Project Management (Acronym: CAPM)  is a certification that is designed to help individuals learn the skills necessary for entry-level project management positions. It can be the stepping stone for such individuals into this career field.  

Certification in CAPM

Certification in Certified Associate in Project Management is controlled and administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a leading worldwide organization in project management. The certification costs PMI members 225 USD and 300 ISD for non-members. This certification is specially designed for professionals with minimal experience in project management, which gives them a basic understanding of the subject. One of the benefits of CAPM® certification is that it is a massive value-add to your resume, as well as your skills.

CAPM Requirements

Two major requirements to do CAPM certification are mentioned below.

1.      Secondary degree, defined as a high school diploma, GED, associate degree, or the global equivalent

2.      23 hours of project management education, completed before the time of the exam.

Cost

The CAPM requires passing one exam. The cost of the exam as of July 2022 for Non-PMI members is 300 USD and for PMI members is 225 USD.

Who can study CAPM?

The CAPM is generally considered an entry-level project management certification. Anyone who wishes to enter the project management sector can do this certification. In addition to it, that person must fulfill the above-mentioned requirements. As an entry-level certification, obtaining the CAPM certification can be beneficial if you have no or little experience with project management. It can be a good way to formally enter the field, or for you to take on more project management-oriented tasks in your workplace. Your decision should depend on what your individual goals are. It’ll also be good to know the costs of the exam, as well as your other options.

Career opportunities in CAPM

In many cases, the CAPM certification is a prerequisite that will help launch a person’s career as he / she moves into new roles with increased responsibilities in an organization. Employers trust this credential and CAPM holders have also proven they can handle increased responsibilities.

A career in CAPM also offers a wide range of global opportunities to the individuals. One of the prime benefits of CAPM is that it is a globally recognized certification. A person who completes this certification will be able to work anywhere, bringing him / her opportunities to travel around the world to places with more and better projects. Even within companies, management may be more willing to transfer a certified employee within international locations, if they feel it is in their best interest.

The job profiles that CAPM certified individuals can look for are Business Analyst Consultants, Operational Support Analyst, Senior IT Technical Project Manager, Marketing Communications Coordinator  and Member Relations Administrator to mention a few.

Salary Survey

Having an average annual salary of 101,103 USD, the PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is regarded as one of the highest earning jobs in the market.

Individuals’ salaries may vary based on their expertise and work type. For instance, an individual with less than one year of experience will earn a median annual pay of 51,610 USD, and with ten years or more of experience, that salary would increase to 77,914 USD

A working professional’s salary will increase by 25% with CAPM certification. Although it depends on several factors, including the job description and the country, accreditation is advantageous for any resume. Therefore, individuals that have certifications may be able to demand more salaries than non-certified experts.

Scope of Certified Associate in Project Management

As per the market research, project management skill is in higher demand in almost all organizations, and by 2024, nearly 1.68 million new positions will be created globally. Thus, qualified project management practitioners are in need. To meet this rising demand and skills, experienced and new project management professionals are advised to take the industry-recognized certifications and PMI’s Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification is one among them.

One of the best aspects of this certification is that even if a candidate has little project management experience, this certification helps him/her to meet the gap of project management skills and have understanding related to managerial roles. Thus, a CAPM certified professional gets increased opportunities in the job market, and in future, these opportunities are going to increase in number at a rapid pace.

With the rapid advancements in job technicalities and the higher set of responsibilities for project management professionals, the CAPM certification can be said to be the right criterion for differentiation among members of project management teams across the globe. 

Planning a project management career? CertOcean runs project management certification programs, backed by our pass-or-full-refund guarantee. Talk to our team about which certification fits your experience level.