The majority of students that attend my Scrum Master training classes are looking for certain benefits. I thought I knew what they were. Until I asked. The answers surprised me. Here’s what I discovered and how you can benefit.

Why Do Students Attend Public Scrum Master Training Classes?

I thought I knew why students attended my Scrum Master training classes. I believed it was to improve their application of Scrum. It turns out that’s not the entire answer. While some do want to confirm their understanding of Scrum, the motivation is broader than that. Many of my students are aware of an amazing benefit of being certified through Scrum Master training. I’m going to share what that is and how you too can benefit.

Scrum Master Training Increases Career Potential

Attending the right Scrum Master training course will benefit you in many ways. Perhaps the most profound benefit is the increase in your career potential. I first wrote about this some years ago when I looked at salaries for Scrum Masters.

Spoiler alert: Whether you were a developer or a Project Manager, adding a Scrum certificate to your list of qualifications increased your salary and job options.

But it Must be the RIGHT Training Course

There are many Scrum Master courses available and many types of Scrum Master certificates available. But they’re not all equal. Employers look for certificates from recognized Scrum training organizations. Who can you trust? The two best known, and most respected, Scrum Master training organizations in the world are the Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org.

Certified ScrumMaster or Professional Scrum Master (CSM vs. PSM)?

Students can earn the Certified ScrumMaster certificate from the Scrum Alliance or the Professional Scrum Master certificate from Scrum.org. They both have high standing and are globally recognized by organizations, employers and recruitment firms.

Scrum Master Training Price

The average cost of Scrum Master training between the Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org shows a small difference in price. Here’s how I calculated the average cost of each course

• I restricted the courses to Scrum Master Training courses delivered by UK based trainers
• I examined ten upcoming courses for each organization
• Where possible, I selected different trainers / organizations
• I removed obvious outliers such as:
  • One-off low prices to attract sign-ups
  • Very high prices designed to make subsequent discounts look deep

The resulting average price is reflective of the price that most people will pay.

• For the CSM it’s £966.
• For the PSM it’s £1,116.

Both prices include value added tax at 20%. You may well be able to find a special offer if you shop around.

Course Price Isn’t Everything

Of course, the listed price isn’t everything. Other factors you might want to consider are:

• The CSM assessment is easier than the PSM assessment. So there’s more chance of gaining your Scrum Master certificate
• The PSM certificate is issued for life whereas the CSM must be renewed every two years at a price of $100. In the short term then, the CSM is cheaper to acquire but, in the long term, the PSM is more cost effective.

Summary

Earning a globally recognized Scrum Master certificate from a respected organisation can improve your career and earning potential.

Training organizations you should consider include the Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org

Certificates you should consider are the Certified ScrumMaster and the Professional Scrum Master

Price wise, and quality wise, there is little to choose between either training organization