The year is coming to an end...and its time to start thinking of NY's resolutions.
There was the year where I vowed to be more refined...didn't really succeed. Suck it.
Then I believe last year I decided to do "monthly goals" which I really liked, but then it got sidetrakced with the goal of getting my PMP certification (which I did get, so I achieved that yearly goal).
Now i'm sitting here wondering what to do for 2008. I'm inspired by AJ Jacobs who went a year trying to follow the bible as close as possible (A Year of Living Biblically...i've got his other book on how he read Encyclopdia Brittanica cover to cover, he's hilarious) so I wondered...what is something that i should do for one year...like my own social experiment?
The only thing I could think of would be: no clothes, shoes, or purses for all of 2008. That's doable, and it goes into the next part of the goal for 2008: I need to pay at least $15K extra towards my home equity loan or else we're in a world of hurt. Yay for the housing debacle. Anyway, back to the no clothes purchase for 2008. For any weddings I have to go to I've got plenty of things I can wear, and I guess if my black boots wear out then I can pay to repair them because I truly do love them.
But...then I remembered that I really wanted to take advantage of spring ski sales and I do need a ski jacket and ski pants...well by "need" i mean, "I have skis and i've only gone skiing ONCE in the past 7 years and to do that i had to borrow someone else's apparel which isn't gonna fly anymore".
So now i'm wondering...can I just say i'll go the entire year not buying shoes, purses, or clothes EXCEPT for one ski jacket and ski pants? That's not exactly an impulse or frivolous purchase, I've been meaning for years to do that.
However, if i truly want to be frugal I could wear the coat and snowpants (oh yes, they're "snowpants") that I had when I was like 14, which is this bright purple and blue coat with bright purple snowpants. They're not stylish, but they're what i wore skiing as a kid (then again, i also wasn't that warm in them...but i do have my old Columbia ski jacket but the zipper broke...but that's also an excuse, i've got workarounds tot he zipper situation you can still zip it up...just not easily...anyway).
So...that's one thought to consider.
The next part is what I already mentioned...$15K has to be paid down on the home equity (i.e. $30K over two years according to my COuntrywide guy)...which is no easy task when you need to spend your year saving $6K just for flippin' property taxes. And that's not really a "resolution" as much as a "fo' sho' you better pay down that loan or else you're homeless"...
OR...i could go back to the monthly goals. Like as a result of the PMP certification there's something that goes along with that (that i won't post) that i'd LIKE to get accomplished at the very latest by end of February, but that's not necessarily up to me...but like one month to paint the kitchen cabinets...another month to paint the upstairs hallway...another month to paint the kitchen itself...another month to do something once and for all with the garage (although i'd like to epoxy the floors, buying that stuff will take away from the $15K that needs to go to the equity), another month to read all the french books i keep meaning to read, another month to truly clear out the spare bedroom (i'm working on it, it involves ALOT of ebaying)...
I also found this website (Weekend Cookbook Challenge) that inspired me...basicallyt he gist is that you gotta open up a cookbook of yours and make one thing in a weekend. As someone who's got a desk job, that's not an easy task...heck, my biggest challenge is going grocery shopping because I can't stand doing it after work, and there's only so much you can buy in advance without it getting spoiled (and becuase it's just kraig and I, lots of times i waste stuff...like 1/4 of onions leave 3/4 to get wasted pretty easily). But i really do enjoy cooking, and I'd like to do more of it.
I could also take Nicole's advice and add to this NY's resolution list to "Join forces with your brother to better manage parental unit guilt trips." which is a fantastic idea...
Stay tuned. The key to a successful NY resolution is to not make it too big where it's easy to fail, but important enough to where you'll want to stick it it.
Kahhh Toe Mahhh Tayy!
Showing posts with label PMP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PMP. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
**I PASSED MY PMP EXAM**
Oh my GOD...it's over...it's finally OVER.
Since around APRIL i've been studying for my project management certification. My brain pretty much revolved around it. Hence also why I didn't blog much...i didn't have much to say 'cuase i felt like whatever was in my brain should have been PMP-related.
Geezus just applying for the test was hard (it took 2 weeks to fill out the application and fortunately, I didn't get audited...you have to meet certain criteria just to write the damn thing)...
Gonna go watch a Nip/Tuck DVD and relax, but to give you an idea of the hell i've been trhough the past few months here's a Lessons Learned i posted on a project management forum:
How to pass the poor man's way
I passed my exam today and I"m finally happy to be able to write my LL.
Took the exam in Southern California.
Going to try to avoid writing the usual stuff that everyone else does.
The plan: to write the exam in the shortest amount of time while spending the least amount of money.
The reality:
1. Applied for the exam (in May) and scheduled it for end of Summer.
2. Got to Chapter 6 in PMBOK and realized I'd need more time and more resources.
3. Purchased PMP In Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for PMP and CAPM Exams by Paul Sanghera.
4. Midway through summer realized summer is the worst time to study. Rescheduled my exam for Oct. Signed up for the PMI-NEIC (do a google search) online course. It's an 8 week online class where you read their notes along with the PMBOK, there's a teacher, forums, quizzes, and most importantly, it's $150. MUCH cheaper than the other classes out there.
4.5 read through their notes and the PMBOK while summarizing EVERYTHING in detail...because i had no desire to re-read the PMBOK unless i had to.
5. Rescheduled again....
6. At a PMI event, someone lent me their materials from when they took the "official" PMI class...which included Achieve PMP Exam Success PMBOK Guide (available on Amazon) and a ton of other notes.
7. Went through online sources (such as the PDFs available here)
8. Did the little tests you find online (like the HeadFirst one, which i don't recommend...their CPM method is messed up) or in the books I had.
Finally decided that the only way to do this is to just bite the bullet, cram over the thanksgiving holiday, and write it the following monday.
The Prometric Center:
1. They don't let you bring ANYTHING in there. There's little lockers (so i guess you can bring the key to the locker in...but if you have car keys, you have to lock the car keys and then take the locker key in with you). And when i mean ANYTHING...i couldn't even bring my chapstick in with me. I'm surprised they let me keep the hair elastic i had around my wrist. If you're wearing a cardigan, it has to stay on the entire time (you can't put it around the chair).
2. The "ear plugs" weren't plugs...i thought i'd get a cute little bag of little earplugs. Instead you get to use these huge construction-guy orange ear things. They work well, except I wore my glasses and the combination of the two really got annoying against my ears.
3. SPeaking of glasses, i recommend you wear them instead of contact lenses. Your eyes will start to pop out of your head otherwise.
4. Someone here mentioned in their LL that the sound of someone typing got annoying...it was AWFUL. I was right next to a girl who was typing an essay, and even through the earmuffs i could hear everything. Don't get me started on the constant banging of the door.
5. When you first sit down, there's a prompt to take the tutorial. So i started doing my brain dump before even starting the tutorial...after 2 minutes I got a warning that if I didn't start the tutorial, i would be closed out of the test. So...just a heads up...start the tutorial THEN do the brain dump.
6. I know this sounds insane, but writing a brain dump in lightening speed is MUCH harder with a regular wood pencil than with a mechanical pencil!
General topics (other than the ones that keep getting listed on the forum):
- order of magnitude (not to be confused with Rough order of magnitude)
- it felt like half of my questions were about contract types and how to calculate all sorts of formulas related to them (which irked me, i just quickly reviewed them and that's it...i didn't know the answers to any of them!)
- ALOT of delegation questions (thank you PMHub, without you i wouldn't have aced them!)
- no CPM math (maybe one float question at best)...i was so bummed i didn't get to create a network diagram
my score breakdown (they give you a printout, you don't have to memorize them or anything...each main section has a really detailed % breakdown which i'm not going to bother typing up):
Initiation 60%
Planning 78%
Executing 60%
Mon & Ctrl 62%
Closing 73% (lol i got 100% in everything except i got 0% in Archive/Retain Project Records that skewed that section)
Prof Responsibility: 80%
TIPS:
1. HIGHLY recommend taking the free test at PMSTUDY. If you can't get the free one, pay for one ($15 i believe). Best thing I could have done...i barely passed the online exam but it told me the exact areas I needed to beef up.
2. Scoping out the prometric place in advance is a must.
3. I didn't memorize all the ITTOs, but i did memorize the "main" chart of the 44 processes (KAs on one side, process groups on the top). This was invaluable...if not for direct questions but so many of the questions were situational, it helps to see where you are in the project (e.g. if they say "in contract administration blah blah", simply staring at the chart reminds you that anything related to say scope development was already done)...
4. I memorized 25 formulas and naturally the only ones I needed were either ones I had no idea or just the easy ones (CPI, CV, SPI)
5. What i did for the questions that were "iffy": i marked them, then as i went through them for review I created a chart of how many i had in A/B/C/D...then for the questions that I really just guessed, i used my little chart to tell me which ones I needed to beef up (I barely had any Cs and i think wayyy too many As)...figured maybe it would help to spread out my best guesses across all letters...
6. Do NOT get discouraged if you don't get the 80% score that everyone recommends you get on the practice exams...I did awful on them and just used that info to hone in on the sections that I needed to learn. Also, take note of your test time...if English is your first language, there is NO WAY you'll need 4 hours to get through the exam...
7. When in doubt, your answer should involve "informing" or "notifying" or "telling" someone whatever is going on.
8. When in doubt, analyze what to do next vs. rushing off and doing X action
Book Review:
Achieve PMP Exam Success PMBOK Guide: a little light, but definitely covered PMP-specific topics. If you need something to supplement your reading, this is great. Pretty decent CD that has tests.
PMP In Depth:goes from a process perspective, not a KA perspective. Good i guess if you read it before PMBOK..but i read it after so it didn't do me much good.
PMI-NEIC notes/online class: I'd give it a B+...it was nice to have something in plain english to read alongside the PMBOK, but it included alot of non-PMP things, which got a little annoying.
Somoene also lent me Rita's Flash Cards, which i looked at briefly and then realized that since i'll never be flat out asked for a definition (as opposed to having multiple options), i never used it.
I stayed away from Rita's books because i found them to be WAY overpriced, and the horrible reviews on Amazon told me to stay away.
Poor Kraig...he had to deal with me being bitchier than usual, which is pretty damn bitchy.
Since around APRIL i've been studying for my project management certification. My brain pretty much revolved around it. Hence also why I didn't blog much...i didn't have much to say 'cuase i felt like whatever was in my brain should have been PMP-related.
Geezus just applying for the test was hard (it took 2 weeks to fill out the application and fortunately, I didn't get audited...you have to meet certain criteria just to write the damn thing)...
Gonna go watch a Nip/Tuck DVD and relax, but to give you an idea of the hell i've been trhough the past few months here's a Lessons Learned i posted on a project management forum:
How to pass the poor man's way
I passed my exam today and I"m finally happy to be able to write my LL.
Took the exam in Southern California.
Going to try to avoid writing the usual stuff that everyone else does.
The plan: to write the exam in the shortest amount of time while spending the least amount of money.
The reality:
1. Applied for the exam (in May) and scheduled it for end of Summer.
2. Got to Chapter 6 in PMBOK and realized I'd need more time and more resources.
3. Purchased PMP In Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for PMP and CAPM Exams by Paul Sanghera.
4. Midway through summer realized summer is the worst time to study. Rescheduled my exam for Oct. Signed up for the PMI-NEIC (do a google search) online course. It's an 8 week online class where you read their notes along with the PMBOK, there's a teacher, forums, quizzes, and most importantly, it's $150. MUCH cheaper than the other classes out there.
4.5 read through their notes and the PMBOK while summarizing EVERYTHING in detail...because i had no desire to re-read the PMBOK unless i had to.
5. Rescheduled again....
6. At a PMI event, someone lent me their materials from when they took the "official" PMI class...which included Achieve PMP Exam Success PMBOK Guide (available on Amazon) and a ton of other notes.
7. Went through online sources (such as the PDFs available here)
8. Did the little tests you find online (like the HeadFirst one, which i don't recommend...their CPM method is messed up) or in the books I had.
Finally decided that the only way to do this is to just bite the bullet, cram over the thanksgiving holiday, and write it the following monday.
The Prometric Center:
1. They don't let you bring ANYTHING in there. There's little lockers (so i guess you can bring the key to the locker in...but if you have car keys, you have to lock the car keys and then take the locker key in with you). And when i mean ANYTHING...i couldn't even bring my chapstick in with me. I'm surprised they let me keep the hair elastic i had around my wrist. If you're wearing a cardigan, it has to stay on the entire time (you can't put it around the chair).
2. The "ear plugs" weren't plugs...i thought i'd get a cute little bag of little earplugs. Instead you get to use these huge construction-guy orange ear things. They work well, except I wore my glasses and the combination of the two really got annoying against my ears.
3. SPeaking of glasses, i recommend you wear them instead of contact lenses. Your eyes will start to pop out of your head otherwise.
4. Someone here mentioned in their LL that the sound of someone typing got annoying...it was AWFUL. I was right next to a girl who was typing an essay, and even through the earmuffs i could hear everything. Don't get me started on the constant banging of the door.
5. When you first sit down, there's a prompt to take the tutorial. So i started doing my brain dump before even starting the tutorial...after 2 minutes I got a warning that if I didn't start the tutorial, i would be closed out of the test. So...just a heads up...start the tutorial THEN do the brain dump.
6. I know this sounds insane, but writing a brain dump in lightening speed is MUCH harder with a regular wood pencil than with a mechanical pencil!
General topics (other than the ones that keep getting listed on the forum):
- order of magnitude (not to be confused with Rough order of magnitude)
- it felt like half of my questions were about contract types and how to calculate all sorts of formulas related to them (which irked me, i just quickly reviewed them and that's it...i didn't know the answers to any of them!)
- ALOT of delegation questions (thank you PMHub, without you i wouldn't have aced them!)
- no CPM math (maybe one float question at best)...i was so bummed i didn't get to create a network diagram
my score breakdown (they give you a printout, you don't have to memorize them or anything...each main section has a really detailed % breakdown which i'm not going to bother typing up):
Initiation 60%
Planning 78%
Executing 60%
Mon & Ctrl 62%
Closing 73% (lol i got 100% in everything except i got 0% in Archive/Retain Project Records that skewed that section)
Prof Responsibility: 80%
TIPS:
1. HIGHLY recommend taking the free test at PMSTUDY. If you can't get the free one, pay for one ($15 i believe). Best thing I could have done...i barely passed the online exam but it told me the exact areas I needed to beef up.
2. Scoping out the prometric place in advance is a must.
3. I didn't memorize all the ITTOs, but i did memorize the "main" chart of the 44 processes (KAs on one side, process groups on the top). This was invaluable...if not for direct questions but so many of the questions were situational, it helps to see where you are in the project (e.g. if they say "in contract administration blah blah", simply staring at the chart reminds you that anything related to say scope development was already done)...
4. I memorized 25 formulas and naturally the only ones I needed were either ones I had no idea or just the easy ones (CPI, CV, SPI)
5. What i did for the questions that were "iffy": i marked them, then as i went through them for review I created a chart of how many i had in A/B/C/D...then for the questions that I really just guessed, i used my little chart to tell me which ones I needed to beef up (I barely had any Cs and i think wayyy too many As)...figured maybe it would help to spread out my best guesses across all letters...
6. Do NOT get discouraged if you don't get the 80% score that everyone recommends you get on the practice exams...I did awful on them and just used that info to hone in on the sections that I needed to learn. Also, take note of your test time...if English is your first language, there is NO WAY you'll need 4 hours to get through the exam...
7. When in doubt, your answer should involve "informing" or "notifying" or "telling" someone whatever is going on.
8. When in doubt, analyze what to do next vs. rushing off and doing X action
Book Review:
Achieve PMP Exam Success PMBOK Guide: a little light, but definitely covered PMP-specific topics. If you need something to supplement your reading, this is great. Pretty decent CD that has tests.
PMP In Depth:goes from a process perspective, not a KA perspective. Good i guess if you read it before PMBOK..but i read it after so it didn't do me much good.
PMI-NEIC notes/online class: I'd give it a B+...it was nice to have something in plain english to read alongside the PMBOK, but it included alot of non-PMP things, which got a little annoying.
Somoene also lent me Rita's Flash Cards, which i looked at briefly and then realized that since i'll never be flat out asked for a definition (as opposed to having multiple options), i never used it.
I stayed away from Rita's books because i found them to be WAY overpriced, and the horrible reviews on Amazon told me to stay away.
Poor Kraig...he had to deal with me being bitchier than usual, which is pretty damn bitchy.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Me fail English? That's unpossible!
Well as usual, long time no write. I really have adopted this bad attitude like, who the eff am I to think anyone would want to read what I have to say. But then I guess I realized...this has always been about me, a place to dump my random brain stew, so get over yourself.
I've discovered today that apparently THINKING about doing something is not the same as actually DOING it. Merely researching ways to paint your kitchen cabinet does not mean it magically is done when you get home. Researching how other people passed their PMP exam doesn't make you suddenly a pro on the topic. Pouring over Foodnetwork.com and Epicurious.com doesn't make a nice big turkey meal cook in your oven. Reading about money doesn't make your bank account numbers go up.
So with many failed New Year's Resolutions from years past under my belt, next year's resolution will be: JUST DO IT. Minus the swoosh.
What does Just Do It entail? Well i'm glad you asked...it means, no more bitching about what you want to get done. No more researching for months on end over something absolutely retarded. No more procrastination. Okay...well maybe a little procrastination, because without procrastination I'd never get anything done (well...okay only procrastinating on things that have a firm deadline so that i'm forced to do it).
In other news...and at the same time, Speaking of Food Network....I'm making Tyler Florence's Caramelized onion and cornbread stuffing for tomorrow.
In more other news, I had a blast in Tahoe seeing my Bay Area peeps (yes...they really are the yellow marshmallows you put in the microwave). In case you need to peruse the pics, click here.
Alright, that's enough for today...one must pace themselves.
I've discovered today that apparently THINKING about doing something is not the same as actually DOING it. Merely researching ways to paint your kitchen cabinet does not mean it magically is done when you get home. Researching how other people passed their PMP exam doesn't make you suddenly a pro on the topic. Pouring over Foodnetwork.com and Epicurious.com doesn't make a nice big turkey meal cook in your oven. Reading about money doesn't make your bank account numbers go up.
So with many failed New Year's Resolutions from years past under my belt, next year's resolution will be: JUST DO IT. Minus the swoosh.
What does Just Do It entail? Well i'm glad you asked...it means, no more bitching about what you want to get done. No more researching for months on end over something absolutely retarded. No more procrastination. Okay...well maybe a little procrastination, because without procrastination I'd never get anything done (well...okay only procrastinating on things that have a firm deadline so that i'm forced to do it).
In other news...and at the same time, Speaking of Food Network....I'm making Tyler Florence's Caramelized onion and cornbread stuffing for tomorrow.
In more other news, I had a blast in Tahoe seeing my Bay Area peeps (yes...they really are the yellow marshmallows you put in the microwave). In case you need to peruse the pics, click here.
Alright, that's enough for today...one must pace themselves.
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