PMP

Exploring PMP jobs: A 2024 guide to certification and remote opportunities

In the business world, the skills of project managers (PMs) are in high demand. Research from PMI finds that “3 million people will be needed each year to fill all the project management-oriented positions expected to open by 2030.” But despite the rising demand for project managers, you still need to differentiate yourself from the crowd to land a great position.  

Watch the full Cyber Work interview with Jackie Olshack, Senior Program Manager, Dell Technologies and Ginny Morton, Advisory Manager, Identity Access Management, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory, for tips on succeding as a project manager.  

This is where the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification can make a big difference. As a certified PMP, you can stand head and shoulders above others who don’t have empirical proof demonstrating their skills. 

For those entering or already involved in the IT and cybersecurity fields, PMP certification validates many of the organizational and thinking skills needed to execute projects in various IT situations. The exam is also an effective interview preparation tool if you're looking for a project management job. In this article, we highlight some ways in which PMP certification and IT and cybersecurity intersect, as well as trends, salary expectations and necessary skills associated with PMP certification jobs. 

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Is PMP still in demand? 

PMP certification is still in high demand in 2024 because the job market is primed for more certified project managers. For instance, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 6% growth in project manager positions between now and 2032, which is twice as fast as the national average across all industries of 3%. With a PMP certification, you position yourself as a top-tier prospect in this vibrant market. 

One driver of the growing need for PMP-certified employees is digital transformations and cybersecurity initiatives. A project manager has to manage teams through researching, designing, coding, implementing, deploying and refining digitized processes during a digital transformation. 

Similarly, cybersecurity initiatives require PMs to work with teams of security engineers, network architects and IT staff to design, implement, and maintain threat monitoring, detection and mitigation systems. The ever-changing nature of the threat landscape requires the kind of agile, proactive thinking that PMP-certified individuals are comfortable with. 

At Infosec, PMP is a famous and growing certification training boot camp. This is due, at least in part, to the rising demand for cybersecurity skills to defend organizations’ networks. Though the PMP is a certification for managers across industries, with the knowledge a PMP certification requires, you understand how to approach complex cybersecurity challenges regardless of the network’s infrastructure or the diversity of endpoints that need protection. 

PMP certification: an overview 

The PMP certification is a global project management certification hosted by the Project Management Institute and is considered the gold standard of project management certifications. Anyone who wants to sharpen their project management skills and be able to demonstrate them to employers should have this certification. 

However, the PMP is not for entry-level project managers. Instead, it is for those with enough experience to demonstrate the following requirements: 

• You can perform your duties under general supervision and are accountable for all aspects of the project (to last for the project's life). 
• You can direct and lead cross-functional teams to carry out projects while meeting schedule, budget and resource constraints. 
• You demonstrate sufficient experience and knowledge to appropriately apply project management methodology to projects with well-defined requirements and deliverables. 

PMP prerequisites 

When can you take the PMP exam and earn your certification? It would be best if you had a few prerequisites in place to qualify for your PMP cert: 

• Secondary degree, i.e., high school diploma 
• 35 hours of project management education 
• 7,500 hours spent leading and directing projects 

Or: 

• Four-year degree 
• 35 hours of project management education 
• 4,500 hours spent leading and directing projects 

Is PMP still in demand? Trends influencing project management jobs 

Digital transformation and cybersecurity have been influencing the day-to-day work of project managers in several ways, including: 

• Increasingly complex projects. With digital transformation, teams have to work with new technologies, processes and types of networks, amplifying the complexity of each project. 
• The introduction of agile principles. Agile project management approaches are common in digital transformation and cybersecurity solution design because they enable frequent, flexible iterations. As a result, project managers may have to shift away from traditional methodologies and toward more agile techniques. 
• An increase in cybersecurity issues. As more digital assets and data are introduced into organizational infrastructure, their attack surfaces and threats grow. Using PMP skills to create tools and systems to prevent breaches and safeguard sensitive information is more efficient. 

Remote jobs have also significantly impacted the project management landscape because they’ve changed how work is done and added new challenges that companies need solutions to overcome. 

For instance, remote PMP jobs introduce: 

• More job opportunities for project managers because they can work with clients and coworkers from anywhere in the world. 
• The need to be able to manage teams using videoconferencing, file-sharing and remote collaboration tools 
• The need to be flexible when it comes to when you work and how you balance your responsibilities with your personal life 

AI is poised to play a significant role in shaping project management's future, mainly because it can be used to automate many of the more laborious elements of PMP jobs. For example, with AI, you can: 

• Automate tasks, such as allocating resources and tracking the progress of projects 
• Automatically analyze data as you look for patterns and identify risks in the decision-making process 
• Use predictive analytics to forecast how long projects will take, as well as the potential financial benefits each project carries for your organization 

Earn your PMP, guaranteed!

Enroll in a PMP Boot Camp and earn one of the industry’s most respected certifications — guaranteed.

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Salary expectations for PMP certification holders 

According to data from Salary.com, a project manager in the United States earns an average of $71,445. However, for PMP-certified professionals, the earnings potential is significantly higher. For instance, on Salary.com, the base salary of a PMP-certified project manager ranges between $69,069 and $253,748. That’s an average of $161,408 per year. 

While the actual amount you earn as a certified PMP will vary, there appears to be a significant financial benefit for making your cert. Given Salary.com’s figures for regular project managers and those with a PMP certification, a PMP cert can double your earnings. 

Another essential factor to consider is your future earnings potential once you get your PMP cert. A survey by PMI showed significant increases in the salaries of people holding a PMP certification. In the 12 months preceding the study, 66% reported having seen a rise in the amount they earned. 

The salary benefits include those in the IT and cybersecurity fields. Salary.com estimates that the average PMP-certified cybersecurity project manager earns between $138,921 and $184,825. 

Essential skills for PMP-certified professionals 

To fully leverage your PMP certification, you may want to cultivate several management and interpersonal skills, all of which make you a better leader and coworker: 

• Leadership. Effective project managers are good at motivating and teaching team members, guiding them to success. 
• Problem-solving. As a project manager, you have to be able to identify problems, devise strategies for solving them and help those you manage to do the same. 
• Risk management. Every project comes with risks in terms of time, budget and failed outcomes. A strong project manager can assess these ahead of time and take proactive steps to mitigate them. 
• Communication. Communicating your expectations and each team member’s responsibilities can boost productivity and improve project success rates. 

Adaptability is also essential because you can face changing circumstances as each project develops. These may include different personnel, issues between those on your team or shifting project requirements. 

Even after you earn your PMP certification, devoting yourself to continuous learning can help you stay abreast of the most recent techniques and tools for PMs. If you can take advantage of an interactive learning environment, you can also benefit from the experiences of fellow learners, emulating their successful strategies and avoiding errors. 

How does PMP certification benefit a cybersecurity career? 

The skills listed above apply directly to what you’d do as a cybersecurity professional because they all carry over into one or more aspects of your daily activities. 

For example, suppose you have to manage a team of IT professionals bolstering your organization’s endpoint detection and response (EDR) system. Here’s how each skill could apply: 

• Leadership. You have to establish expectations and objectives for each team member. These may include installing EDR tools on a certain amount of endpoints over a specific timeframe and configuring and testing them. 
• Problem-solving. Problems may arise, such as EDR software that works for one device being incompatible with another. Or the software may only work after an update, but that same update would make a business-critical app malfunction. You have to troubleshoot these kinds of challenges. 
• Risk management. The risk ecosystem of a cybersecurity project manager often includes the risk of attacks or breaches resulting from ineffective configurations or a lack of understanding regarding how network protection functions. 
• Communication. Communicating what team members should be doing daily, how they should work together and how you can serve as a resource makes for a higher-functioning team. 

On the other end of the cybersecurity spectrum, suppose you’re a manager and need to audit your company’s cyber protections. As a PMP-certified project manager, you’d understand how to: 

• Decide which hardware and software elements to include in the audit based on those that are most important to your business continuity plan 
• Inform employees, the IT team, executives and other stakeholders about the importance of the audit to the security of the company and why each facet is essential 
• Outline the risks involved in failing to perform the audit or doing it in a superficial, non-comprehensive fashion 
• Address problems that may arise, such as employees not providing the necessary information. You may also have to deal with issues the audit uncovers, such as vulnerabilities inherent in outdated, legacy hardware or software. 

Success stories: PMP certification holders 

PMP certification holders often have success stories stemming from their credentials and the experiences they make possible. One such professional is Mansi Thakar, who went from having an undergrad degree in chemistry to a master's degree in cybersecurity and then becoming a certified PMP. She notes that after earning her PMP cert, her experience has been “Exponential,” adding, “Not just career growth but also interest. The more I learn, the more interested and invested I become.” 

Ms. Thakar also appreciates the versatility of being a PMP-certified cybersecurity professional. She says, “Cybersecurity is transferable across industries like healthcare, fintech, entertainment, etc. I love that I have been able to apply my skills in various contexts.” 

Also, even though her master's degree in cybersecurity plays a role in her success, her PMP certification sets her apart from the competition. As Ms. Thakar explains, “The PMP added the management techniques needed for my nine-to-five job, which is highly visible and deals with stakeholders ranging from executives to engineers.” 

Earn your PMP, guaranteed!

Enroll in a PMP Boot Camp and earn one of the industry’s most respected certifications — guaranteed.

Get Pricing

What is the future outlook for a project manager? 

The job outlook for a project manager in 2024 is strong. With a projected 6% increase in positions over the next four years, there will be no shortage of positions to apply for. By getting your PMP certification, you’re strategically moving to power your career growth in project management, IT, cybersecurity and related fields. For more resources, you can check out our PMP hub, where you can see exam FAQs, study guides, links to practice questions and more.