Why PMP?

This is a retrospective of my PMP certification value after 16 years of becoming a PMP myself.

Why did I become a PMP in the year 2004?

By the time I became a PMP, I had around ten years experience in project management, without any formal training in project management. I knew lot of things about project management in bits and pieces gained over the years. I was not confident about my knowledge about project management.
Then one day, while browsing project management related books at a book stall, fancy three letters 'PMP' attached after the names of the authors of the book caught my attention.
On further inquiry, I realized that most of the topics covered for the PMP certification were known to me. Then, why not get an acknowledgement for the knowledge I already have?. That thought ended up attending the five day PMP preparatory training, study and passing the PMP credential on the first go itself.

I became more aware of the some of the project management blunders I have committed in the past. I realized how much I did not know about project management before becoming a PMP.
My confidence level about what I say and do about project management was at a new high.
People started accepting my views better during project management discussions.
The PMP certification, really sparked my interest to learn more about professional project management.
My credentials in project management helped me to pivot my career into trainer, coach, consultant, domain expert, professional blogger etc.
It helped me to survive two recessions, and now this pandemic. I am enjoying what I do at the age of 59, and the industry still value my contributions. I am still employed.
I must say that, everything started with my PMP certification.

There are many PMP certified people in the industry, who stopped learning after receiving their PMP certification. I call them brain dumb PMPs, who used only brain dumps to pass their exam, without understanding the real concepts and their impact on projects. Hence their commitment and depth of knowledge and respect towards the profession is not very good. Because of this sometimes I am ashamed. I do not declare that I am a PMP on many occasions, despite receiving tremendous value from my PMP credential.
Realization:

Why do swimmers body look great?. Many think that it is because of their swimming. Unfortunately only those with the right physique become swimmers. Why do we say that the students from IITs are good?. Need not be because of the coaching there but because the selection process is so rigorous, hence only the best get in there. So, is the case with PMP certificate. If you have the stuff in you to become a project manager, and if you are passionate about project management as a profession, then the PMP credential will do good to you, else it will just remain as a certificate, a piece of paper.
Before investing into PMP, ensure that project management is the right career path for you and you have what it takes to be a great project manager.

If you are not yet a PMP, and if you are passionate about project management as a profession, then go for it. There are many who lost great opportunities because PMP was a pre-requisite and there are many others who got into great project management jobs without any formal training on project management and failed miserably. By becoming a PMP proactively, you can avoid these two situations.
While preparing for the exam, instead of mugging up the concepts, try to understand the concepts and their benefits to the projects. See things from a practitioners perspective. That will make your journey enjoyable and more valuable than just the certification.
Even though there are several other project management certifications, PMP is the most popular one. The concepts can be applied across various project management domains. It provides a good foundation to base all further learning.
Once you are a PMP, live up to it professionally. Do not stop learning about project management thereafter. Like every other profession, project management is also undergoing changes rapidly.