NACM's Professional Certification Program provides the necessary tools for credit professionals to build their careers. It takes dedication, patience and persistence to learn and earn those credentials and many credit professionals are able to apply the knowledge they have gained into their daily lives.
"I love the credit profession," said Yazmin Yepez, CBF, CCRA, CICP, credit supervisor at Mitsubishi Electric Automation (Vernon Hills, IL). "When I have access to new learning opportunities, I get to enjoy every minute of it. The concepts reviewed during classes were real experiences I had at work and it facilitated with my understanding of the concepts even more."
The certification program opened a window of opportunity for networking and mentorship for Yepez as well. "To this day, I am still in touch with other credit individuals that I met during class," she said. "We learned and grew together then—and now we reach out to each other for information or advice on any new credit situations. Before you know it, your network keeps growing and you are known within the credit community."
Yepez earned her CBF a few years ago while balancing a full-time job, three teenagers and leading her credit department. Time management was one of her biggest struggles. "The key was to stay focused and work hard to achieve my goals," Yepez said. "The critical piece was my passion for what I do and the desire to learn more."
And that passion to reach above and beyond led Yepez to earning the CBF Designation of Excellence. Receiving this award feeds even more into motivation and excitement, said Yepez. "I feel honored to earn this designation," she added. "Don't be intimidated by people that have several credit certifications. It will take time and effort but if you want to do it, you will get them too."
For more information about each designation within NACM's Professional Certification Program, visit our website.