In the Fall of 2016 I set out to obtain my Project Management Professional Certification. I have always believed in lifelong learning and the pursuit of continual progression. For me, it was a natural move and fit. It began with casual conversations of "maybe I should try this," escalated to phone calls with mentors of "how do I do this," and finally graduated to signing up for PMP Bootcamp saying "let's do this."
Bootcamp was the first step. In order to sit for the PMP exam, a candidate must have 35 hours of PMP training. I signed up and spent my week in class from sun up to sun down to receive my 35 hours. It was a tough week, but I loved it. I loved learning, taking notes, and soaking up information.
Next was signing up for the exam. The application process takes time in itself. Then that application is reviewed. Once that application is accepted, then a candidate can sign up for the test.
All of these steps were just to sign up for the test.
The test still loomed large and was coming down the tracks like a freight train.
I locked myself away and prepared for the examination. Flashcards, study quizzes, webinars, mnemonic devices...every strategy I could employ, I dove right in.
The morning of my exam came and I was losing my mind. Anxiety? Check. Fear? Check. Nerves? Check. Hives? Check. Tears? Check.
I was convinced that I was going to bomb it. I stood in the bathroom crying and discouraged before even leaving the house. It was in that moment that I realized that if I continued sitting in my current mindset that I would do exactly what I feared, fail. I knew that if I had any hope of succeeding, that I needed to bring positivity and confidence into my test.
I put on my Wonder Woman socks and my favorite Will Smith encouragement video. I belted some Hamilton and told myself that I was going to destroy that test one question at a time.
Finally, it was time.
Brandon drove me to the testing center. He walked me in, squeezed my hand, and wished me luck. I verified my identity and was escorted to my testing station, the big blue "Start Exam" button staring straight at me.
I squared up and stared back.
After a few deep breaths and positive affirmations, I began. I answered question one. I only worried about question one. And then question two. And question three. I focused on each question as it came, all 200 of them, one at a time. At the end I reviewed my answers and my heart pounded out of my chest as my mouse hovered over the "End Exam" button.
Are you ready for the real torture?
This exam gives you your results right away. You'll know straightaway if you were successful. But! After pressing the "End Exam" button, you have to take a survey before your results are displayed on your screen.
Are you kidding me right now?
I am certain that the dozen or so questions they asked ("How would you rate your testing experience?") probably took less than a minute. It was easily the most excruciating minute of the day. I hesitated again as I went to click the "Submit Survey" button, knowing my results would be on the following screen.
Congratulations!
was the only word I could read before nearly leaping out of my chair in the middle of the silent testing room. If I were coordinated enough to do a cartwheel, I would've. I'm not, so I grabbed my things and walked out of the room. The gentlemen monitoring the center checked me out and I raced to turn my phone on so I could call my family. They knew I was testing (of course) and were waiting to hear how it went.
I grabbed my score print out and raced to the hallway. I called them on FaceTime and held up the paper with the bolded, black word "PASS" printed as clear as day. Relieved doesn't begin to describe how I was feeling.
My parents and I went out for a celebratory California Pizza Kitchen dinner. It was a perfect day. Despite the stress of the days and weeks leading up to the exam, I knew that I had worked towards and accomplished something. And it wasn't easy. That made the victory all the sweeter.
Throughout it all my family was so supportive of all of my efforts. They helped me study, shuttled me to boot camp, drilled me on flash cards, and offered every bit of love in the world. I couldn't have done it without them.
In the weeks since I have received my official pin and certificate from PMI. I can't wait for the next opportunities that this will lead to in the lives of me and my family. And when the next challenge comes along, you can bet that my 3x5 cards, highlighters, and I will be ready.