Member Spotlight: Strive for Success with Certifications

Striving for success is a relentless pursuit that drives individuals to reach their fullest potential and achieve their goals. The same applies to credit professionals who seek to become valuable assets within their department to achieve departmental and company goals. NACM's Professional Certification Program helps credit professionals grow to be better equipped in reaching all of their goals.

Jennifer Nelson-Armstrong, CBA, corporate credit analyst II at TTI, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX) started her designation journey by earning her Credit Business Associate (CBA), an academic-based designation which signals mastery of three business-credit related disciplines, Basic Financial Accounting Financial Statement Analysis 1 and Business Credit Principles (BCP).

"I came over to my credit department from sales, so I wasn't as well-versed as my associates were in credit management," Nelson-Armstrong said. "But I overheard about the different courses offered through NACM and asked more about it. Fortunately, education is a big thing in my company, and they supported my decision to earn my certifications."

Nelson-Armstrong's initial concern was her specific learning style not being catered to. "I'm more technology inclined and like to be interactive, so sitting in the classroom is not ideal for me," she said. "Luckily, I signed up for the video conference and took the Business Credit Principles and Financial Statement Analysis 1 concurrently last fall."

Despite tackling mom, work and student responsibilities, Nelson-Armstrong was successful in completing each course and retaining the knowledge. "I had a six-month break to take the CBA exam, so I signed up to go to Credit Congress and did a review," she said. "To prepare myself, I made sure that I shared what I learned with the rest of my team, which not only helped me study, but now almost half of our team has a CBA or is taking classes to get their CBA."

Not only did Nelson-Armstrong learn more about credit and financials, but about the community behind credit. "By going to the conventions and classrooms, I got to learn from credit professionals in other industries," she said. "Even if our industries aren't the same, they have similar credit experiences, which helped me significantly."

After earning her certification, Nelson-Armstrong feels as though she is being held to a higher standard. Now, she's motivated to earn all her certifications. "I'm just grateful for my company that allowed me the opportunity to earn my certification and be able to choose which avenue to learn from with NACM."

For more information about each designation within NACM's Professional Certification Program, visit our website.