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• What motivated you to pursue your PMP certification?

Essentially, the desire to validate my previous project management experience and the need to improve my career prospects. Eventually, the fear of failing the exam was my biggest motivation, providing a strong drive to work and resulting in the best outcomes.

• What did your preparation process look like? / Which study materials or resources did you find most helpful? 

A Udemy course by David McLachlan’s helped me earn the required 35 PDUs and familiarize myself with the exam pace. Further, I used PMI’s Study Hall - highly recommended for anyone striving for the certification. Andrew Ramdayal’s YouTube video “Complete PMP Mindset 50 Principles and Questions” was helpful to practice the Study Hall questions and mock exams. Finally, I used Third3Rock PMP Summary Notes - helpful to refresh all I had learned.

Combining my family's needs with my plan for the exam was the challenging part. Therefore, I had to use the nighttime and squeeze in my studies during the day.

• Do you have any tips for others preparing for the exam? 

Study Hall is a must-purchase, and one has to go through both the practice questions and the practice exams. My recommended tip is to save the full-length exam practice for the week of the exam and simulate exam conditions by keeping all your devices away and sitting through the 3 to 4 hours it takes to complete the exam to help build stamina and familiarity for exam day. As an example, my exam was on a Saturday, and I used Wednesday and Thursday to take two full-length practice exams and Friday (the day before the exam) to rest.

• How has the certification impacted your career or day-to-day work so far? 

At the moment, I am job hunting, but having the certification has expanded the range of roles I can apply for, and I have had a few interesting conversations and connections via LinkedIn since announcing my PMP certification.

• What would you say to someone unsure whether they should start this journey?

So long as they are interested in project management, I would paraphrase a quote that says, “Do not let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game,” meaning that this journey is worth it and the knowledge gained and experience are useful even if they might not be successful the first time.

Bio

Ekpenyong Effiong is an Operations and Facilities professional with 12+ years of experience delivering complex, multi-site environments across telecommunications and education. He holds an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology and a B.Eng. in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt.

Feel free to connect with Ekpenyong on LinkedIn.

Newsletter Editor’s Note: Preparing for a certification can feel both exciting and overwhelming - and who better to learn from than colleagues who have just gone through the process? In this new Q&A series, we highlight recently certified team members who share their personal journeys, study approaches, challenges, and tips for success. Their real-world experiences aim to inspire and support anyone preparing for their next exam, offering practical insights and honest reflections from those who’ve been right where you are. At the end of each feature, you’ll also find a short author bio to help you get to know the voices behind the stories.