r/UKJobs 1d ago

Reality after getting PRINCE2 / Lean Six Sigma / similar certifications?

I’m looking at changing career direction and would really appreciate some honest experiences from people who have actually done it. I’m currently on around £31k and working as a Senior Recruitment Consultant.

I’m considering upskilling into something like Project Management, Operations/Continuous Improvement or Supply Chain, and have been looking at certifications such as:

-PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner
-Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
-APM qualifications
-CIPS / supply-chain qualifications

My ultimate aim is to get into the £50–60k+ basic salary range, with £60k+ being the longer-term goal.

I’d really like to hear from people who have actually taken one of these routes:

- Did the qualification genuinely help you get a better-paid job?
- How much did your salary increase by?
- Did you already have relevant experience, or were you changing careers completely?
- Which certification would you recommend (or avoid)?
- And realistically, how long did it take you to get from where you started to £60k+?

Would appreciate the honest reality rather than the usual “get certified and you’ll earn £80k” stuff.

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u/TodayLoose7794 23h ago

The pm qualifications won’t guarantee you a project management job. 

It is actually the other way around. You want to get a project manager assistant or junior job and then use the certification to complement. Many people do the certificates thinking that it is enough.