Chet Frame ⋅ El Paso, TX Border Business Consultants ⋅ 18 years experience

Good morning, Josh.

I agree with Po Wong, possibly because my Master Black Belt was from J&J as well.

I am a consultant with more than forty years experience working in manufacturing and logistics now called Supply Chain Management. I hold a green belt for administrative projects. In our company, black belts were only assigned to people working on direct manufacturing projects. The system and the tools are the same.

Be careful when you look at schools that offer black belt credentials. Most companies like to define the requirements for Black Belts. J&J said you needed to save the company a total of $5M in projects completed successfully. Green Belts were awarded for projects that were non-manufacturing in context that saved the company more than $2M. A Master BB teaches and mentors five BB's through their processes to accumulate more than $25M.

Schools offer Black Belts, but they have no project experience. If you find one that does offer the classes and project work, ask to speak to some of their graduates to see how they were accepted by their employers. Are they using their BB knowledge is their current position?

The Six Sigma tools, DMAIC, DOE, etc. are great for you to know. I use them all the time. They will help you in your career. They will increase your value in the job market.

Your dad is right. Get the education, and make sure that the provider of that education is preparing you for entry into a better career track.

Po Wong ⋅ Orlando, FL Johnson & Johnson (retired) ⋅ 40 years experience

Hi Josh,
Your Dad is right:-)

Black Belt Lean Six Sigma Certification (Reduce waste/process steps/variables/errors which will optimize outcome and results) is highly valued by top companies. Many companies such as J&J will pay for the class and certification.
It is a process (Define, Measure, Analyze, Innovative, Improvement, Control) which can apply to R&D, New Product Development, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Finance or anything we do….Many universities are now offer class/certification online.

Attached is a basic video that explains Lean Six Sigma. Hope this helps!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2HCrhNVfak

Joe Engle ⋅ Indianapolis, IN Electrical/Software Eng. + MBA ⋅ 30 years experience

Hello Josh. There are project managers in many industries, from building houses to software development or making cell phones. You already have a foot in that door. I suggest take some basic business courses at a local college and add some project management certifications that go along with that. I have worked with many project managers, some had certifications, and I think most had a business background. The business courses will open doors for you and give you good insight into business. You may end up pursuing a degree. The more education you can get under your belt the better.

Thanks for your service and best of luck!
Joe

ACP AdvisorNet Staff ⋅ New York, NY ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Josh, thank you for your question.

I would recommend you to go on our Community Tab. And Select Advisors and Filter to (Operations & Logistics) and with would be there you would be able to directly connect with a Mentor that can give you more insight on the certification.

From there, if you identify someone with this certification, you can directly message them on this platform.

I hope this helps.