Are You Legit? Shelly, who recently discovered pmStudent, sent me a series of questions. Shelly: These videos are for PM’s who have completed their education and are ready to start their career. Shelly: If so, what education would you need to make your system most useful?Me : I don’t assume that you have any previous experience or training in project management. Shelly: That’s a great question. I think the best way is to follow my articles at?pmStudent.com,?gantthead.com,?Govloop.com, connect with me on?LinkedIn?and?Facebook, join the?PM Career LinkedIn group, etc. You’ll quickly get to know me and my passions. These resources will give you great ideas, and you can also get to know me. If you’re unsure about purchasing my training, it’s normal. I’m not someone you’ve ever interacted with before. Thank you for your question! Don’t get scammed! I have written about things that seemed suspicious in the world of online project management, and offered some tips on what to look out for. Apart from the website’s appearance, it is important to get to know the people behind the certification or training. You’ll feel comfortable with someone if you’ve been following them for a while and have gotten to know their personality and how they work.

• Are they really trying to help people? Are they really trying to help people or are they just trying make a quick buck.
• Are they new or have they been around for a while?
• Do they reply to emails you send?

Do They Love What They Do? Can you tell? I believe the most important thing about interacting with someone online is to determine if they truly love what they do. Are they sincere? Do they love helping people? PM Prepcast was my first online training program. But I didn’t just click on a sale page and buy it instantly. Through the PM Podcast, I got to know Cornelius Fichtner and even emailed him several times with questions about project management. It was obvious that Cornelius Fichtner was the real deal. When I needed to purchase great training for the PMP exam, I knew who I could trust. After I bought it, I was so impressed that it is the only PMP training program that I recommend. Trust must be earned over time. It’s not something that you feel instantly for someone when you first meet them or visit their website. Cornelius is a great friend and will not steer anyone wrong if referred to me. But trust was earned over time. To close, I urge everyone to be cautious and do your research before making any major purchase online or offline. You can buy training or other items online from real people. In real life, some people are in it for love while others aren’t. What have your experiences been with online training? It can be a great way to start your due diligence by listening to the experiences of others in a similar situation. Please leave your comments!