In a world slowing down, we quietly step forward, perhaps one step ahead. This is perhaps one of the reasons why DTS people, even during social distancing, persistently continue to study, achieving many accomplishments for themselves, such as obtaining valuable certifications like the PMP certification.

This will be a new milestone in their career and also an opportunity for them to gain valuable knowledge that can be applied to project management in practice.

To better understand the difficulties they may encounter and how to overcome them during this special period of study, let’s hear from Mr. DungLT – DEV2 and Ms. HuongDT – DEV1. Both of them registered for and took the exam at the same time and both made efforts to achieve the certification in the recent exam session.

Both Mr. DungLT and Ms. HuongDT already have families and small children, so after busy working hours at the company, they also need to spend time taking care of their families. Despite these challenges, what motivated them to decide to study and prepare for a challenging certification like PMP?

According to Ms. Huong: “PMP is a globally recognized project management certification, demonstrating an individual’s experience and knowledge in project management. It’s a way to assess one’s knowledge, compare it with the common knowledge of PMI members worldwide to improve one’s own experience through applying project management knowledge. As a direct project manager, having a PMP certification also instills more confidence in clients. I’ve been intending to study since around 2018, 2019, but due to various personal reasons (marriage, childbirth…), my plan was postponed several times. Finally, after the maternity leave and returning to work, I was determined to study, made a study plan, and registered with my desired managers. Fortunately, at DTS Vietnam, the company always creates conditions for project managers to participate in courses to enhance management capacity, and I started my journey to conquer the PMP certification from April 2021.”

Mr. Dung shared: “I have gone through many positions from Engineer to PM over the past 10 years, but I have not received formal training in project management. In practical work, I also self-studied and learned more, but I realized that my knowledge was not really complete, and there were many obstacles in applying it to work. To solve those practical obstacles, I thought I needed to participate in a course and take a professional project management certification exam.”

As you know, the registration for the course began in April 2021. Although the study time was not extended, due to the impact of COVID-19, they had to switch from offline to online learning. With this change in learning format, did they face many difficulties in their study plan and how did they overcome them?

For Ms. Huong: “Studying online at home after office hours made it challenging to balance when my child needed attention. If I went to a training center, I could just leave without worrying about childcare and focus entirely on studying. In my opinion, to focus best, it’s still better to have a separate space for studying, avoiding distractions and postponing studying with thoughts like ‘I can watch a video later instead of studying now.'”

Mr. Dung shared: “At first, I thought it would be difficult, but thanks to the help of my family, I was arranged a quiet study space, so there weren’t many obstacles. On the contrary, studying online turned out to be an advantage for me. Thanks to online learning, I could record the lessons, which allowed me to listen again and have more time to contemplate and think. Moreover, having to travel less also saved me a considerable amount of time and effort.”

In reality, everything has two sides, and if we adapt well, what seems like obstacles can become advantages.

(Ms. HuongDT and the results of her efforts)

The whole learning process is online. I know that you have chosen the online exam format. So, can you share what benefits or disadvantages online testing brings?

According to Mr. Dung: “For online exams, contestant will bear additional risks regarding signals, transmission lines and other factors affecting the test taking space. However, the advantage of taking the exam online is that you will be more proactive in preparing for the time, choosing the exam space, and getting familiar with the machinery and equipment in advance.”

“Online testing has its benefits: I can sit alone and not be distracted like taking the exam at the center, for example: just having the guy next to me mumble and talk nonsense makes me unable to concentrate. However, there are disadvantages such as the risk of a bad connection, or if the camera somehow doesn’t work… then your card will be marked and you will fail. (In fact, there have been cases where during the exam, the camera broke midway, the monitor could not see the image and the exam was failed even though 2/3 of the questions were completed, almost enough to pass).”

Fortunately, at DTS Vietnam, the company not only provides opportunities for employees to study but also prepares examination rooms for them, equipped with all necessary devices and a good internet connection, in a quiet working environment. Perhaps this is one reason why I could feel reassured during the exam.”

To be able to pass the PMP certification, studying must have taken a considerable amount of time. Could you share how you balanced your time between work, study, and family?

For Ms. Huong: “Every day, I had to spend at least 2 hours (online study/reviewing/doing exercises/studying in groups), but with a small child, I still had to allocate time for him. Fortunately, I live with my grandparents who supported me a lot. On days when I studied online, I didn’t have to cook or wash dishes, but I only had about 10 minutes to play with my child during breaks, and by the time I finished studying, he would already be asleep. At those times, I had to regain my spirit and determination to keep going for a few months.

It took almost 3 months, and by mid-July, I finished studying and entered the review phase. At this point, I had to limit my sleep to only 5 or 6 hours a day: playing with my child in the evening, studying until around 11 PM after he went to bed at 9 PM, waking up at 5 AM the next morning to finish one set of review exercises before going to workIn general, to balance everything, I needed a lot of support from my family, and only then could I feel confident to focus on my studies.”

“My family also has a young child, so even though I prioritized online studying after work, I still had to complete other household tasks. However, even when doing household chores or playing with my child, I could reflect on the content I had learned. Additionally, I dedicated extra time when the whole family was asleep to complete assigned exercises.” These were Mr. DungLT’s succinct but sufficient sharing, indicating how he focused and dedicated a lot of time to this exam.

(Achievements of Mr. DungLT)

Immediately after completing the exam and receiving the results, did you plan how to apply the knowledge you’ve gained to project management? If so, could you share your short-term and long-term goals?

Mr. Dung shares: “During my studies, I constantly compared and thought about the changes in my project management work. I was particularly interested in the Agile mindset that I learned during the PMP course. I will apply the knowledge I’ve gained to my projects in the near future, step by step, to see the changes in my project management work.

That’s Mr. Dung’s sharing. How about Ms. Huong?

“In the short term, I hope to apply the knowledge I’ve learned to manage assigned projects more effectively. In the long term, I hope to build a ‘dynamic’ and ‘competitive’ team, both in terms of capability and skills, to tackle more challenging projects.”

Could you send some words of encouragement to members who are on the path to obtaining PMP certification?

“All efforts will lead to success. If you don’t try, you won’t know if you can do it or not. Always strive to move forward.” This is what Ms. Huong particularly sends to those on the path to obtaining the PMP certification.

“Studying and thinking about the application of the knowledge you’ve learned, outlining new directions, helping you have new perspectives in your work, will make studying more meaningful and enjoyable. Believe me, if you can do that, you will find your exam journey much more interesting and useful. It’s not just about getting a certification.”

Congratulations to Mr. and Ms. for successfully obtaining the PMP certification. With the PMP certification you’ve achieved, it has helped the team of managers at DTS Vietnam to have more prestigious certifications. Hopefully, DTS members will continue to conquer even higher peaks and always be proud of DTS Vietnam.

I hope that in the future, both of you can continue to uphold the spirit of learning, effort, and advancement to lead many successful projects and achieve many achievements in your work.