Training Classes Advice

Hi Ruth - I hesitated on giving an answer since I teach the PSM II and I have bias. But since no one responded I will share a few things. The answer depends on where you are in your journey and what skills you are looking to gain. Both courses are excellent and I learned a lot from both, and Scrum Masters can benefit from both.

As a student I've taken both the PSM II and the IC Agile bootcamp which includes the Coaching and Facilitation. Both sets of instructors were highly qualified and made both courses enjoyable.

If you love Scrum and want to improve upon what you already know, the PSM II might be for you. It isn't a pure coaching class though. The PSM II is not a class about learning new things about the Scrum Framework or its complementary practices (i.e. user stories and story points), but about deepening your understanding of its values and principles. The PSM II is a continuation of the journey into Scrum. It delves into the challenges that Scrum Masters face and reflects more deeply on how the principles and values of Scrum inform what a Scrum Master should (not) do in those situations. You'll work with other experienced Scrum Masters to learn over 30 techniques you can take back and use with your Scrum Teams right away to be an effective Scrum Master. 

For the PSM II course you should have at least a year of Scrum Master experience. There were some experienced Scrum Masters in my Coaching course, yet not everyone had Agile experience or had ever been on a Scrum team. Don't expect to hear the word Scrum in the IC Agile coaching and facilitation courses.

As I said, I am based, but if I had to choose it would be the PSM II without a doubt. 

Scrum on!

Thanks for your input Chris, very much appreciated. 

I would like to have an answer to this question but I have not taken any classes as yet.  I've been able to further my knowledge and understanding by using the recommended readings provided on this site and spending time in the forums reading everyone's opinions.  

I second @Chris Belknap suggestion on pursuing the PSM II.  That is the path I took and I found it really helped me to solidify my own understanding of Scrum which helped out in pursuing other certifications and doing the actual job of Scrum Master.  

Thanks so much Daniel for your input.

I completely agree that the suggested reading pages and this forum are useful. I have 2 years experience as a Scrum Master in the field and passed PSM I a while back but I passed the PSPO I two weeks ago just by leveraging my experience and doing some of the recommended reading.  

I think I'll go for a PSM II class and keep up with the reading and doing.