NACM Member Spotlight: Designations Fine Tune Your Credit Skills

Credit professionals who have been in the industry for several years have lots of knowledge and expertise in their career. But it's never too late to learn something new—or fine tune those skills you use on a daily basis. Just like a car, even the most reliable tires need to be rotated after a while to keep the machine rolling. "When I got recruited into credit management, my mentor and boss who has his CICP encouraged me to start with my CBA," said Chason Dancer, CBA, credit manager at DXP Enterprises, Inc. (Houston, TX). "Most of the training I received from him has been through a lot of best practices and technique we learned throughout those courses."

Dancer's journey to receiving his CBA differed from the typical route. Rather than completing all courses and the exam at once, Dancer spaced it out to work with his schedule. "It's hard to work full-time, with two kids (a second full-time job), on top of the classes I had to take," said Dancer. "It was a long, solid commitment at the time but it was worthwhile."

Many credit professionals can instantly use the knowledge they gain from course material to apply to their profession. Build upon the skills you already have and learn different perspectives to making credit decisions. Designations make you a more valuable asset to your company, said Dancer. "The confidence gained by earning my CBA is unmatched," he added. "You're applying technique, analysis and knowledge to daily situations. There's not a single day that goes by where I don't apply something I've learned from the coursework to my daily job. To anyone starting their journey or considering it, I would advise you to be patient. It is worth it!" 

We will be back with another member spotlight next week. Until then, you can visit NACM's Professional Certification Programs for more information about each designation.