Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

I have never heard of the PCM until you mentioned it. I looked into the program and have to admit it sounded very pretentious. To standardize marketing practice is like trying to standardize creativity. Innovation is what drives marketing. Marketing does not play by rules in the same way that Accounting and Law does. The program in its self sounds like a marketing gimmick. If you have a degree in Marketing that should be more than enough to have experience in marketing that is golden.

Levon - I'm not too sure where it was that you looked. The PCM program I looked at is endorsed by the AMA. I don't think point is to standardize marketing. I think the point of the certification is to show that you are actively involved in marketing and knowledgeable on the matter.

It also shows that you went above and beyond your basic marketing degree.

Levon - You may want to look a little deeper into the program. It's endorsed by the AMA and doesn't exactly appear to be what you have described.

Certification without deep on the job exerience means little to me when I interview candidates. In fact, I usually see it as a bit of a negative. (back to the pretentious comment made by Levon) It may be a personal bias, but all interviewers have them.

J Casalou, Can I ask you a question? If you are so for the program already why do you find yourself asking whether PCM is "...worth it"? Really, you are a marketer now if you think this certification will help market you more in the marketplace then go for it.

There are probably people out there that may be impressed by the certification - once you describe to them what it is. I don't think the AMA has much bearing on anything these days. They have tried to set standards from everything from salary to job roles. This in my opinion is hard to achieve in such a dynamic field that changes every hour.

Levon -

I see the certification as a reinforcement on one's overall marketing education. To me that seems like it would be beneficial in any aspect of business. The question I have is how beneficial is it? Since I'm going for my MBA in marketing so maybe it's not.

I really wanted to hear from people who have the certification and see how, if at all it has been a benfit to them.

Go for it. Let us know how it works out for you.