Now that I'm on the career path I want to be on, I thought it is a great time to invest in my career. The PMP (Project Management Professional) certification from PMI (Project Management Institute) is what I'm really after though I have decided to start off with the CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management). The CAPM is a less intensive certification and will allow me to get into the groove.

These are project management related certifications (doh!) and basically provide you the guidelines to ensure the smoothest possible execution of a project. They detail the different possible phases within the project's life-cycle and the expected inputs and outputs of each phase. You are also exposed to the standards and pertinent knowledge areas and all this has been encapsulated in the PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge). Since project management isn't an absolute science (more likely, a combination of art and science), it has been mentioned in a lot of places in the book that the PMBOK provides the guidelines, however, the ultimate decision to select, drop or fine-tune a process lies with the team members and the project manager.

I'm pretty excited about this and have already started preparing for the exam and I intend to give the test in a couple of months at most, so wish me luck!