Before I got pregnant and quit my job, I worked as a project manager in information technology where I focused on deployments, integration and software development. In my role, I was continually surprised by the number of people interested in project management practices and certifications. Often people were looking for ways to develop their leadership skills, while others were looking for how to become certified as a project manager.

To become certified as a project manager you must have a certain amount of training and experience, as well as pass a certification exam. All of the requirements for taking the exam and acquiring the certification are located at www.pmi.org. If you are looking for a book to help in studying for the certification exam, I highly recommend publications by Mulcahy. Her study guides will give you a good understanding of what type of questions will be asked. Make sure you use the most updated versions of her guides as the test changed significantly about 2 years ago.

Unfortunately most project management books focus on the exam rather than practices and techniques for project management. I have listed the few good ones I have found and will be updating the list as I find more. My list of helpful project management books can be found here.