Got told my 'safe' career plan was a bad idea at a Denver tech meetup
I was at a small meetup for project managers in Denver last month, talking about my plan to get a second certification this year. A senior director from a big software company flat out said, 'Chasing certificates is a waste if you can't lead a real team through a crisis.' He argued that hands-on experience with a tough project, like fixing a launch that's going wrong, beats any class. But I've always thought more letters after your name means more job offers and maybe a 10% pay bump. Now I'm stuck between grinding for that next cert or trying to jump into a messier, visible project at work to prove I can handle pressure. Has anyone else had a mentor tell them to stop studying and start doing the hard stuff?