should i do a three day prince2 foundation course paid for by me

[zippitippitoes]

........would it help me get a job

is a 995 + VAT cost reasonable

and is there any point doing the foundattion course with the idea of maybe doing practitioner once i have a job

and how hard is it are there any special requirements are knowledge i would need first

like using access or anything

and will my brain just explode

[LittleMyDancing]

it's a pretty hardcore piece of project management training, so it would depend on whether you'd be really keen to be a project manager.

also, it tends to be geared to large scale projects, not so good on smaller ones.

but it is a nice thing to have on your CV. tends to impress employers.

[Backgammon]

I wouldn't bother with the foundation unless I was doing the practitioner too, or unless I was involved in a project someone else was running.

It's only the practitioner level that qualifies you as a project manager and it's better to do it all in one go IMO, when it's fresh in your mind.

On the other hand, if you have the money to spare the foundation exam is pretty easy multiple choice, not that taxing at all compared to the practitioner which is a 3 hour written exam.

I did both a couple of years ago in weeks intensive, nearly killed me!

[zippitippitoes]

so do you have to be employed already to do the practitioner one

i dont know much about this at all

just some outlines i have read

how hard is it

for someone who hasnt been in a managment environment where they speak in tongues

[zippitippitoes]

management

i can spell i just cant type lol

[traceybath]

i did mine a few years ago and found it pretty straight forward but then i'm a project manager.

you won't need access or anything - its just how to run projects.

Governmental organisations like it.

[traceybath]

oh - meant i did the practitioner course and exam which was 5 days.

[Amaris]

I did foundation. The course wasn't what I expected - it was all basically cramming information (lots of jargon) and not enough time to think about why and how to use it. Our trainer said it used to be a five day course but commercial pressures meant that it was reduced to three days.

I haven't tested out the employment market, I guess it depends what sector you're in. I do a lot of work with public sector organisations that have put their senior staff through it and I think that it has helped having a common language in meetings (interviews?) etc. even if the actual foundation level isn't as useful as a qualification as the practitioner.

[zippitippitoes]

im not in a sector

i am apparently totally unemployable

[Amaris]

And I meant to say that people who had little idea about project management did struggle. If you decide to do it it's worth making the time to read the stuff they send you beforehand.

[zippitippitoes]

by little idea of project management do you mean in the sense of business and jargon

i have built a house which was a project and i did mange it

[zippitippitoes]

manage

[binkythebullet]

One of my team has recently put herself through Foundation Level - it works out a lot cheaper if you buy the book and self-study. Then you just have to pay for the exam.

However, I agree that Foundation exam is pretty lightweight and you really need the Practioner exam under your belt too.

Go for it zippi

[Amaris]

Ha ha, I used to think I was unemployable but I seem to have been institutionalised!

What do you want to do? I guess that will help to answer whether or not it will be useful.

[Amaris]

To answer your question - it's more about understanding key concepts in PRINCE2 like the "business case" for the project, the "project board" with different stakeholders, breaking the project down into stages so that the project manager can get on with managing it inbetween the need for the project board to make decisions etc. Nothing majorly complicated - an internet search or basic book on project management would help. DP did it and I just laughed and said project management is all common sense, which it is really, but formalising it in PRINCE2 useful.

[zippitippitoes]

something that involves using my brain

i would be interested in working in a charity or heritage environment

i have a very mixed cv lots of education and not any of the right experience it seems

and to make matters worse i have been self employed since 2000

which seems to be a big nono

[zippitippitoes]

it isnt so much knowing the stuff as putting it on my cv tbh

[binkythebullet]

Have you thought about volunteering for a charity - it may give you the lead into the job you want? I realise that this may not be an option due to £££, but if you could....

I'm not sure if PRINCE 2 is the best qualification for you - it's predominantly used for government and IT project management.

Have you read this book? I'm just reading it at the moment as trying to work out what I want to do work wise. So far it's a brilliant read - may help you?

Po Bronson

[zippitippitoes]

yes i am looking at volunteering too

tho i dont havre any income and i live on my own so a bit tricky

but as i cant get a job anyway

[nowwearefour]

i think it will open doors but you need to be sure it will open doors you are actually wanting to walk through. have a look at the guardian website for jobs as it prob has the sort of ones you talk about here and see whether they ask for this qualification. i wold have taken it had i not been on mat leave twice when it was offered to me.

[zippitippitoes]

im thinking that possibly the jobs im best suited to are the ones which are a bit odd

i have an application in for one at the moment and they have readvertised it a week after the closing date

i think im quite well qualified for it

but clearly they possibly dont and/or no one else is or has applied

[Amaris]

I work in the voluntary sector - although not in heritage - and most organisations don't seem to have heard of PRINCE2. I have also moved between being self-employed and employed - though basically doing the same sort of things. I wonder whether this is a bit more normal in the voluntary sector than other sectors with short term / project funding being common. IME as long as you can relate what you've done to the things on the person specification, it's not necessarily an issue. Volunteering might be useful to get a foot in the door, demonstrate that you are committed and also for you to get an idea of whether it is actually what you want to do or not, but probably more important is for you to find something that suits you, whether or not it's odd! Most jobs in the voluntary sector are odd in some way...!

Good luck!

[nooka]

Prince is public sector. If you want a project management type job it is useful, but you will need to talk about projects you have managed, so if you haven't done that too I don't think there is that much point in doing the exam. It is a five year qualification (ie it lasts for five years) but you should note that Foundation is fairly basic. Really it's just about lining up jargon in the right order. If you have a good memory and a logical mind then you should find it pretty easy. I put my team through it at work, and the logically minded found it easy - three days was too much for them. Others found it confusing and difficult, but everyone passed. We did have a very good teacher. When I set up the Practitioner course those who found Foundation tricky didn't take it up. Those who had managed projects found the course really useful, and it was more demanding on the mind (and therefore more useful). Two people excelled, and three failed. I did the Programme management course a little while later, with a bunch of people from management consultancies and really enjoyed that, but it was very challenging. I've never seen it as a requirement in a person specification.

I would start by looking at jobs you think you would like and seeing what the person spec requires before paying out a heap of money on something that may not open doors for you.

[Piffle]

dp did it his company paid
Be promptly got headhunted
He did practitioner in the 5 day course

[zippitippitoes]

it probably doesnt sound that essential for me then or not especially helpful

the appealing thought was something i could do quite quickly