Are you planning to get a PMP® certification? Getting a PMI membership exposes you to certain benefits which help you to maneuver your PMP® journey with ease. Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world’s leading project management organisation with over 500,000 Global Members and over 300 Local Chapters Internationally.
PMI membership shows your dedication to your project management career and your professional development. Your PMI membership at the local PMI Chapter allows you to expand your network by attending various events conducted by the chapter. These events offer you an opportunity to attend a variety of sessions including informal meet-ups. Moreover, you can collaborate with like-minded individuals to create and share consumable tools, content, and resources.
Types of memberships offered by PMI
Before we dive into the benefits of PMI membership, let’s take a quick glimpse of the types of benefits offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI offers the following three types of membership:
1. Individual Membership:
Individual membership is available at an initial cost of $129 plus a $10 registration fee. Once a member, annual membership renewal costs $129.
2. Student Membership:
Student membership is available for current students with valid identification. The initial cost of student membership is $32 plus a registration fee of $10. Annual renewals costs $32.
3. Retiree membership:
Did you retire from active employment? If you were a PMI member for at least five consecutive years, you can still continue your PMI membership by paying a renewal fee of $65 per year.
10 Benefits of having a PMI membership
As some may question the value of PMI membership, one would surely like to ensure the worth of the fee which you pay to become a PMI member. As a PMP certification aspirant, you can reap great benefits from your PMI membership.
You can access your membership benefits by logging in to pmi.org and click on the myPMI tab. Once you click on the ‘dashboard’ link, you will find a ‘Knowledge Resources’ section in the right-hand column. You just need to select PMI publications and access the online version of the PMI standards.
Some of the benefits of PMI membership are:
1. PMP® Certification Exam Fees Savings
PMI members qualify for the members pricing of the PMP® exam feels at a cost of $405. The cost for non-members is $555. Taking into consideration the PMI membership costs of $139, you will be looking at savings in the exam fees in addition to the other benefits of the membership.
2. Free Access to PMI Standards and Publications
As a PMI member, you get access to electronic copies of all standards published by PMI . As a member, you can download an electronic copy (PDF) of these resources from the Library of PMI Global Standards. If you are a PMP® certification aspirant then you can download a free copy of the latest edition of PMBOK® Guide which is an essential document for your PMP® certification journey.
The standards published by PMI include:
A. Foundation Standards
- A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK® Guide - Latest Edition
- The Standard for Portfolio Management - Third Edition
- Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®) - Third Edition
- The Standard for Project Management - Third Edition.
B. Practice Standards and Frameworks
- Practice Standard for Earned Value Management - Second Edition
- Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures - Second Edition
- Practice Standard for Project Risk Management
- Practice Standard for Project Configuration Management
- Practice Standard for Scheduling - Second Edition
- Practice Standard for Competency Development Framework - Second Edition
- Practice Standard for Project Estimating.
C. PMI Standards Extension
- Government Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Third Edition
- Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition
- Construction Extension to the PMBOK® Guide Third Edition.
3. Access to Various Research Papers
Being an honored member of PMI, you get free access to numerous research papers published by PMI. Moreover, you can avail the paid papers at discounted rates.
4. PMI Marketplace
PMI Marketplace gives you access to numerous project management related books and hard copies of all PMI standards which you can buy at a discounted price.
5. Career Central and Headquarters
As a PMI member, you get access to a vast collection of resources under Career Central and Career Headquarter of PMI for your career growth. These resources provide you guidance from building your resume to acquiring new skills and keeping yourself updated on the latest trends. You can also submit your resume here and search for jobs.
6. PM Network and PMI Today
As a PMI member, you are entitled to receive free monthly copies of PM Network and PMI today, magazines published by PMI. These magazines are either delivered to your doorstep or you can receive them in the form of email for free.
Update yourself with the latest happenings on the world of project management and across the PMI local chapters with these magazines. You can increase your knowledge with the interviews, case studies, and in-depth articles available in these magazines.
7. Project Management Journal
Project Management Journal is a research journal published by PMI. You are entitled to get a copy of the journal as a PMI member. It gets published five times a year and will help you to get a clear understanding of program, project, and portfolio management.
8. PMI Chapter Meetings
Once you join the local PMI chapter and acquire the PMI membership, you get an opportunity to participate in every local chapter meeting at discounted prices or sometimes it’s free.
9. Networking
One of the most amazing benefits that you can avail as a PMI member is networking. As a PMI member, you can avail the opportunity to connect with professionals through Communities of Practice or in PMI chapter meetings. These events give you a great opportunity to learn by connecting with professionals.
These connections will surely help you to prepare for your PMP® certification exam or this can help you to land up in a good job.
10. Free PDUs
PMI membership can give you an opportunity to earn unlimited numbers of Category-A PDUs by watching free webinars. Moreover, these will be automatically reported to PMI and you don’t have to report these to PMI by yourself.
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PMI Local Chapters
Do you know your nearest PMI Local Chapter? Join your nearest PMI Local Chapter and take advantage of the knowledge and networking available over there. These Chapters are spread across the world and can be segregated in zones. The zones are:
The Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR)
The Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program of PMI supports your ongoing professional and educational development so that you can always be prepared to meet the demands of today’s complex business environment. The purpose of the CCR program are as follows:
- Promote continuous learning and development among the certification holders
- Ensure the relevancy of certified practitioners by providing direction in the development areas
- Recognise and encourage individualised learning opportunities
- Sustain the value of PMI credentials and global recognition
If you hold a PMI certification then it is compulsory for you to maintain your certification by participating in the CCR program in order to renew your certification every 3 years. You need to earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) by taking part in various professional development and learning activities in order to fulfill the continuing certification requirements.
How can you earn PDUs to meet the CCR requirements?
You should maintain your PMI certification once you get one. The PDUs required to maintain your certification by meeting the CCR requirements can be earned through various professional development activities that center one of the following areas:
1. Education: It can be defined as learning opportunities which allow you to enhance and expand your leadership, strategic, or technical and business management skills.
2. Giving back to the profession: It can be defined as a set of activities that enable you to share and utilise your skills and knowledge in order to contribute and help to build the profession.
The PDU distribution for both categories in order to meet the CCR requirements for your PMP® certification are as follows:
| Categories | PDUs you can earn |
|---|
Education | 35 |
Giving back to the profession | 25 |
There are many ways to earn PDUs under both categories. You can choose from a plethora of development activities which are conducted for you to meet your CCR requirement. The activities are as follows:
Education
- Course or training
- Organisation meeting
- Online or Digital media
- Reading
- Informal learning
Giving back to the profession
- Work as a Practitioner
- Create content
- Giving presentations
- Sharing knowledge
- Volunteering
PMI Membership Cycle and Renewal
One of the common queries that prevail among people is that how long is the PMI membership cycle. Your PMI membership is valid for one year from the date of your membership activation. You can track your membership status in your myPMI profile on PMI.org and can renew the same as soon as 90 days from your expiration date.
You can auto-renew your membership by accepting the automatic renewal terms and conditions on the payment screen on PMI.org. But you may opt to turn off this feature and renew your membership each year via phone, mail, or online.
What if you fail to renew your membership?
Failing to renew your membership before the expiration date of your membership will lead to a discontinuation of your membership benefits, like discounts on certification, additional PDU opportunities, member-only webinars, or maintaining your chapter membership. You can activate the membership automatic renewal feature to ensure continuous access to your membership benefits without interruption.
Conclusion
There are numerous benefits which you can reap by becoming a PMI member. These benefits would surely motivate you throughout your PMP® certification journey. But in order to realise these benefits, you need to be involved with them. The membership will give you access to the local chapter meetings and help you out to get an opportunity to interact with other Project Management Professionals (PMP®). This will help you to learn more about the format and challenges of the PMP® examination. Moreover, this will help you in your career growth through communication and networking.
The PMI membership also facilitates its members will various courses and activities to meet the PDUs required to meet the CCR program. Attend the seminars or work as a practitioner to earn the 60 PDUs which are required to maintain your PMI certification.
You can also learn about how to earn more PDUs to meet the CCR requirement set by PMI after completion of your PMP® certification here.
