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Which is Better: PMP or MBA?

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Published: 06Sep2008
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I have seen many posts out in the forums and blogs wondering whether it is better to go for a PMP or MBA. I think there is great value in both, but I think they serve 2 different purposes. Having earned both a PMP and an MBA, I have some definite thoughts on this, but of course in the end it is a personal decision.

Many people may remember the movie "The Wizard of Oz", and how The Great Oz described a university education to the scarecrow, who lamented "if I only had a brain". He was seeking "smarts", or the capability to think deep thoughts, the ability to analyze, interpret, distinguish, and reason. In the end, Oz granted the scarecrow a degree, which, Oz said, put him in fine standing with those who came before him attended universities, and learned to "think".

MBA and Education
This, I believe, is more what an MBA is all about. It helps to teach us how to think about a broad set of situations. It provides us with exposure to many different ways of thinking, many situations, and crosses virtually all business functions. It also builds skill in areas such as finance, marketing, operations, and more. It is certainly much closer to the business world than a liberal arts education, which is ALL about thinking, but nonetheless is has a great deal of breadth.

Certifications and Qualifications
Now, on the other hand, let's consider certifications. Certifications became very popular a while back in the IT field, where companies like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and others created certifications around their products. They needed a highly qualified and consistent-thinking implementation community in order to support their complex products. Becoming certified was not and still is not easy, and requires hard work and experience.

More recent certifications, such as the PMP certification, have become popular and are similar, yet also different in some important ways, that the technical certifications. They provide a framework for dealing with a certain common problem set, they challenging to earn, and they are clearly a skill. But this is where they diverge from the education provided by an MBA. They provide a clear "skill" for the workplace. Education does not necessarily do that, although it provides great background that can help someone perform better. The certification provides employers with an indication of a minimum level of knowledge and achievement, and professionals with a distinguishing and proven minimum skill set.

What an MBA or Certification Can Provide
Certifications for me have been a way to gain formalized learning is less familiar areas, or in areas where I want to focus and develop some specialized knowledge and skill. Thus they have applied directly to immediate and medium term career goals. I previously have earned technical certifications, specifically in Lotus Notes Application development and Administration, and several years ago earned the PMP certification. I n both cases, they helped me with more immediate career goals, especially the technical certifications. The PMP certification has helped in very practical ways, and also opens doors.

I will say that having had the discipline and broader thinking of the MBA background helped me not only to more easily earn these other certifications, but also to perform more effectively and with greater perspective with the certifications. Personally, I think I was much more effective with it in situations that involved certifications that I would have been without it.

It's a Personal Decision
That being said, just as a university education is not necessarily for everyone, and MBA is not necessarily for everyone. Therefore, when all of the logic is put aside, this becomes a very personal decision. Different people have different learning styles. It may be that one person would be better off getting a certification like the PMP, work in project management for a time, and gain exposure and experience, the advance their career from there. Some people learn much better by doing and could be wasting their time in school. Similarly some people do not need the certification or the degree! But most of us will benefit best by one or the other, or both.

In conclusion, in a choice between PMP and MBA, I generally would recommend going for the MBA, but again that depends on the person. It will serve anyone in the long run, but in the end, experience is the best teacher, and performance results are best indicator. A degree will make it easier to earn certifications, if desired, at the appropriate time, but it is not necessarily required. The MBA will shape thinking in a broader and more valuable way for the long run. If time or resources is a concern, or there is a more immediate career need, then certainly earning the certification would help in the short term to anchor the career. But in the long run, I think an MBA would serve most people the best.

John Reiling, PMP, MBA is experienced Project Manager and writer on Project Management topics. John's web site Project Management Training Online, provides online PMP Prep training and online PMP PDUs training . John writes regularly in his Project Management blog, PMcrunch.com .

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