Reasons for Microsoft IT Project+ certification include career advancement, personal improvement, skills enhancement, and higher salaries.

The mean compensation for project managers in the United States is now $87,807. Project Managers on the West Coast fare even better, with mean salaries of almost $103,600. Overall, those who have received project management certification through professional associations earn about $5,000 a year more than those without certifications.

Individuals:

Having proof of your skills and knowledge gives you the edge over other candidates when you're applying for a job, providing:

• Proof of professional achievement

• Better job opportunities

• A viable career path

• Foundational knowledge for additional certifications

Companies:

Certification provides companies with skilled employees, leading to:

• Increasing customer satisfaction & repeat business

• Simplified recruiting and hiring

• Lower training costs

• Greater customer satisfaction

• Measurable competence standards

According to a recent survey developed by RHI Consulting, 23 percent of CIOs named project management as the area in which their staffs could use the most improvement.

Human Resources:

• Employer-funded training and certification programs are a key to retaining skilled IT staff. Career development and advancement opportunities are shown to significantly reduce rates of employee turnover.

• Certification Training Programs provide benchmarks for hiring and promotion decisions by accurately assessing technical skills.

• For-certification training programs maximize educational investments through immediate validation of skills.