How to Earn PDUs by doing Your Day Job

In our current series of PDU Tips we are exploring the many ways you can earn PDUs. Today we look at how your day job can contribute to your PDU total.

If you are a project manager this is probably the easiest way to earn free PDUs. You can get up to 25% of the PDUs you need for your recertification cycle through what you are already doing at work. Yes, your day job contributes towards your PDU total! Even better, it even counts if you only work part-time, or as a contractor. As long as you spend at least 6 months every year carrying out project management services you can claim up to 5 PDUs a year. That gives you a maximum of 15 PDUs across the three year cycle, which is big chunk towards your total.

As you probably know, if you are a Project Management Professional (PMP)^® credential holder you need to earn 60 PDUs every three years across a number of categories specified by Project Management Institute (PMI)^®. Holders of other PMI^® credentials [except Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^®] also need to earn PDUs and all the PDUs gained from your day job fall into Category F. If PMI^® decides to audit you, you will have to provide proof of employment for the relevant time periods to show that you really were working in a project-related field over those years.

The great thing about these PDUs (apart from the fact that they are free) is that they cover all aspects of practical project management. Even if your job title is not ‘Project Manager’ you can count your project-related activities towards your PDU total. So if you work in the project office, or as a risk specialist, or a scheduler, all this project work can be added to your PDU record. Next time you are in a long project meeting remember that it counts towards your PDU total! Just keep a note of where you are working in case your recertification process involves an audit.

In next week’s tip we’ll be looking at how quizzes can help you earn PDUs.