Degrees, PMP, and Getting Sh*t Done

When I was job hunting, I kept seeing the same thing over and over:

📄 “Bachelor’s degree required.”

📄 “PMP required.”

And every time I paused and thought: Why?

What is it about a degree or a PMP that feels so critical when hiring a project manager?

Here’s the truth: I don’t have a fancy college degree. What I do have is decades of real-world experience managing projects for some of the most recognizable companies in the world. I’ve run programs with budgets north of $225 million. I’ve delivered, repeatedly, under pressure, across industries, across countries.

So…does that hold less weight than someone who studied projects like mine as a case study between college parties?

I get sh*t done. That’s what matters.

Now let’s talk PMP.

✔️ Yes, I have it.

✔️ Yes, I’ll keep it forever—it opens doors.

✔️ But no, it doesn’t make me a good project manager.

Here’s how I got mine: I documented years of experience (which, honestly, is the part hiring managers should focus on). I memorized the PMBOK (hands down the most boring book on earth). I sat through boot camp. Then I went into the test, finished in record time—sat there staring at the clock thinking, “Don’t overthink it, Stacey. Don’t touch a thing. Just submit it.” Passed with flying colors. Walked out. And promptly forgot 80% of what I crammed.

The PMP opened doors. But it didn’t teach me how to:

• Negotiate priorities with a stubborn exec.

• Navigate global team dynamics across time zones and cultures.

• Spot scope creep before it wrecks a timeline.

• Calm a panicked stakeholder.

• Rally a team that’s burned out and over budget.

Those are the skills that make a project manager effective. And you don’t learn them in a textbook or a lecture hall. You learn them in the trenches—with real people, real deadlines, real consequences.

When I’m in an interview and I ask, “What about the PMP is important to you?”—I listen closely. The answer usually tells me one of two things:

1️⃣ They just saw it somewhere and slapped it on the job posting because it “sounds right” for spotting a real PM.

2️⃣ They’re a box-checker—it’s so important to them that they want a strictly “by the book” PMP project manager. (No thanks.)

And here’s the thing: if they really knew what PMP was, they’d understand it’s a credential, not a personality transplant. The value is in the experience and results that go into earning it—not the certificate hanging on the wall.

So here’s my challenge to hiring managers: next time you’re writing that job description, stop and ask yourself—

👉 What does “done” really look like for this role?

👉 Do I need someone who can pass a test, or someone who can deliver outcomes?

👉 Am I filtering out great talent because of a box-checking requirement that doesn’t actually predict success?

Because in the end, it’s not about the letters after your name or the diploma on your wall. It’s about whether you can deliver.

And that’s something no degree or certification can guarantee.