[bcrdukes]

Strangely enough, I went from pursuing my PMP to going to BCIT part time to do my CCNA.

So far, CCNA > PMP.

What I would personally suggest is to get your foot in the door at a company first to kind of get your feet wet - even if its entry level. From there, explore your options THEN pursue the designation of your choice. Project management in itself is a bit of a double edge sword. In order for you to earn your PMP designation, you need PM related work experience first. The only way is to become a PM first. On the other hand, those who are already PMs don't have the time to go through all the schooling and then the 3000 hours of work experience (or whatever it is) to pursue the exam. Kind of like which came first? The chicken or the egg? Not to mention, I'm a true believer that PMI and its designations are "fad designations."

In terms of practicality, the PMI designations work quite well for construction management. In IT - not so much because there are far too many variables and projects typically are fast and short-term. This is where PMP didn't work out for me. There are a bunch of PMP certified PMs at our work place but they've explained that none of the material is applicable nor practical if you follow their standards of practice. For them, it was experience that got them the job, not so much the designation.