John Stevens ⋅ Middletown, MD ⋅ 20 years experience

Tom and Brandin,

There is one more option. Join Project Management Institute and reach out to your local chapter. Many senior PMPs volunteer to me mentors and know a lot about getting prepped for the test.

Thanks - John

John Stevens ⋅ Middletown, MD ⋅ 20 years experience

Tom and Brandin,

I took a PMP prep course via Army eLearning (https://usarmy.skillport.com). However, you need to be a valid Army Knowledge Online (AKO) user. The course was a good value being free. I ended up taking an expensive online course with Villanova University and it was worth the money.

My advise is to go to local community colleges and ask to speak with a veteran counselor. Grants are frequently available. Also, contact an active duty or National Guard education office to see what options might be available on post or via a relationship with the education office.

Thanks - John

Brandin Lea ⋅ Austin, TX U.S. Army National Guard, Sergeant ⋅ 10 years served

Thank you for asking this Tom, it would assist me immensely.

Mark Grgurich ⋅ Roseville, CA ESGR ⋅ 30 years experience

Search http://www.vets2PM.com and see if your Veteran qualifies for a FREE (Gi Bill or VRAP paid) PMP Boot Camp and Test Prep. Dr. Eric Wright is a Navy officer and Certified Project Management Professional. i am going to get my PMP through his program. EVERY Veteran should attend his Monday evening seminars for FREE to see if the program can help.

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Billy- This has been answered . Read the comments above. VCTP Syracuse.

Billy Austin ⋅ Valdosta, GA U.S. Air Force, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 8 years served

I can't answer your question because I'm not even ready to take the exam for my PMP. I do appreciate the knowledge that all of you have brought to light though. I also have some input for anyone that is still in the Air Force (including Guard and Reserve), the Air Force E-Learning site on the Air Force Portal has tons of Project Management Courses to take as well as Certified Associate of Project Management, PMP, and PgMP certification exam prep courses. I plan to dive head first into those soon.

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Update: VCTP now covers military spouses and VCTP now offers HR certs from shrm.org. The deadline for Jan 2014 admission is snow Dec 15, 2013.

S M ⋅ Augusta, GA ⋅ 1 years experience

Thanks so much for passing the info along for VTCP!

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Also, special thanks to Thomas Nadeau, a U.S. Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) and Civilian Lead Software Developer at a large firm. Thomas Nadeau first told me about the great programs offered at the Veterans Career Transition Program (VCTP) at Syracuse University. NCO's - the backbone of the military.

Thanks also to all others who contributed insights and information. We could not have put this together without all your help.

* The VCTP program at Syracuse covers 100% free a PMP and other preparation courses AND one exam fee (100% free, Vets love free stuff ) for post 9/11/2001 Veterans. The same applies for many other certifications such as CISSP, CAPM, etc.

* Research, email, register and have a phone call with the good folks over at the "Veterans Career Transition Program" (VCTP) at Syracuse University. Schedule a call with one of the VCTP's guidance counselors. The VCTP is experienced in helping Military Veterans utilize their military experience to earn the PMP certification. The next deadline for guided admission is Aug. 26, 2013.
http://vets.syr.edu/education/employment-programs/

I've complied most of the information here:
"A PMP Checklist For Veterans: "How to Learn More About the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification:"

https://acp-advisornet.org/question/927/a-checklist-for-veterans-how-to-learn-more-about-the-project-management-professional-pmp-cert./p1

Susan Carr ⋅ Plainwell, MI General Electric ⋅ 30 years experience

All good advice. If you go to PMI.org, you can look up the PMP Credential Handbook. It is in a pdf format and provides all of the information needed to obtain the credential. There is no fee to view the PMI website; however, if you pay an annual membership fee ($130?) you get access to quizzes, reduced price courses, etc. If you are a college student (the required credit hours are on the site) you pay ~$40 for membership. The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill will cover the expenses of the coursework, and may even cover membership dues and test fees.

Eric Knode ⋅ Minneapolis, MN Owner BPM Consulting LLC ⋅ 10 years experience

Tom,

State organizations have specific funding to assist with the cost of certifications and training for veterans. Here in MN it is http://www.hired.org/ or the Department for Employment and Economic development. The GI-Bill also covers the cost if the course is taken at an accredited university.

Eric