Last Thursday I decided to become a certified scrum master. So, I visited the Scrum Alliance website and checked out different Certifications, and decided to register for the CSM program. I wanted to know How To Become a CSM.
I had to take 2 days of online training, there were 3 options available for 13th and 14th February. I selected one that was boasting about an above 4.5 avg rating on google. I found them doing a google search when I was pondering on How To Become a CSM.
The moment I paid for the class and test ( 19999INR plus GST = around 24500 rs) I got a call from them. They confirmed that they got my payment and will be sending me materials.
As promised they did over 2 days. Thursday and Friday I got the Scrum guide and workbook. There were 2017 and 2020 scrum guides.
Saturday the class started with 35 aspirants and the instructor. Every 1.5 hrs we had 10 mins break and lunchtime started around 1 pm. Lunchtime lasted for 1 hr. The class continued till 6 pm for two days.
The instructor was really good. One thing to remember, I have experience of 8hrs working in an Agile scrum environment. So it was easier for me to pick up things and understand. The instructor gave enough clues about what kind of questions might come.
I took the exam around 8 pm on Sunday. It was open book. Mainly because the testing is done to check your understanding. so, you do not find direct answers in the scrum guide. By the way, the exam was held on scrum guide 2020 and not 2017. You have to answer 50 questions in 1 hour and have to get 37 questions right to pass the exam. And in case one fails, there are 2 free attempts and after that, you need to pay $25.
The instructor suggested taking the exam within 2 days, I took it the same night after going through the scrum guide and handbook. and it was fairly easy. Some questions were not very straightforward. But you will have enough t pass the test.
I have 2 years of experience as a software engineer I want to explore the managerial aspects of this industry. Is an EMBA the right choice?
An executive MBA, that is online or part-time will not get enough weightage when compared with a full-time MBA. I am speaking from my experience. I started my career in IT services in 2007-08. I started my executive MBA in 2017.
Many of my friends did a full-time MBA after 2 – 3 years of experience. They were re-hired as a business analyst in the business consulting section, which had a higher pay but it was not managerial work.
You might ask, how come even after doing a full-time MBA, someone is not hired as a manager? Because they do not have enough working experience. I can tell you, there are certain aspects and experiences which come only with working experience, the classroom cannot teach you those.
I would suggest that you change your track first and move into a scrum master role, then with 2 – 3 years experience, you can switch to a project manager role.