5 Lessons Learned From My 5th CSM Anniversary

5 years ago today I passed my Certified Scrum Master certification exam. This was my first (but certainly not my last) online proctored exam. Here are my 5 lessons learned from my fifth Certified Scrum Master anniversary!

Be Open To Change

Originally I embarked on getting my CSM because recruiters oftentimes asked if my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification was my only certification? I started researching job descriptions that I liked for other certifications that were listed. CSM and ITIL 3 (at the time, now it is ITILv4 as of 2021). I decided to pursue my CSM since I was already in project management. You can read all about my passing my CSM exam on my blog or my video.

Be Ready To Self-Finance Your Certification

You must also be ready to come out of your pocket for some of these certifications. In my case, I had to use my credit card to finance my CC Pace scrum training that I saw on Eventbrite. If you want a certification that’s outside of my current job and/or industry, you probably would have to pay for it.

Another reason why I self-financed my CSM is because I wanted to control my career trajectory. Some companies have clauses that you must stay and work at the company for X amount of years. That was not going to be me.