PMI Membership Benefits

I have seen many people with this dilemma - shall I take PMI membership or shall I apply for the exam as non-member? Is it worth the money? The plain and simple answer is 'YES' - it is definitely worth the money. If you plan to appear for the PMP certification, you will in fact end up saving money if you become PMI member and then apply for the certification exam. Listed below are some of the PMI membership benefits -

1. Discount on PMP certification exam - When you apply for PMP certification exam as a PMI member the fee is US $405. PMI membership fee is US $129. Total cost becomes US $534. If you apply for PMP exam as non-member, the fee is US $555. There is a direct saving of US $21. It does not require any rocket science to see the benefit of becoming a PMI member.
   


2. Free Access to eReads - As a PMI member you have access to more than 500 books on project management. Along with your knowledge improvement, these books help you in preparing for PMP exam. And, you have access to these books 24x7 free of cost.



3. Career Development Services - As member you can advertise your resume and have access to their jobs database. You also have access to career coaching services.



4. Networking - You get a chance to interact with 250,000 global fellow community members by way of participating in online discussions, surveys, news. Once you are a PMI member, you can join your local PMI chapter and participate in various events organized by the local chapters and meet the other members in person to know the trends in the profession. These events can fetch you PDUs (after you have cleared the certification) which will help you in continuing your certification.



5. Access to various publications - As PMI member you get free subscription to PMI Community post, PMI Today (newsletter), PM network (magazine), Project Management Journal and PMI leadership in Project Management. You also get free access to latest edition of PMBOK Guide.



6. Others - Besides above benefits, you also get access to Project management best practices, opportunities to impact the advancement of the project management profession. Also, you can join the SIGs (Special Interest Groups) and participate in the events organized by these groups. It can fetch you PDUs and help in PMP credentials continuation.

Hope this answers and helps clear your dilemma.