Member Spotlight: Reinvent Yourself

Credentials matter in credit. They enhance both your personal and company’s value through education and improve confidence in your day-to-day duties. NACM’s Professional Certification Program provides six levels of certification for credit professionals who want a deeper dive into their careers.

Some credit professionals seek to earn designations to get a deeper knowledge of their role and how to use that knowledge to bring value to their department. But others seek designations to help build new skills outside of their norm. “I decided to pursue my CBA as part of my transition into my new role with my company,” said Sandi Saunders, CBA, credit analyst II at The Andersons, Inc. (Overland Park, KS). “I had been in consumer credit for 20 years and decided it was time to reinvent myself in the world of credit. Obtaining the Credit Business Associate (CBA) is a huge milestone in that reinvention.”

Though every journey experiences its setbacks, Saunders said her strategy of sharing her goal of obtaining the CBA with those closest to her held her accountable for achieving it. “Announcing a goal and how important it is to you can be a powerful tool in being able to make the commitments to study and follow through on those commitments,” she said. “It is also important to realize any limitations in your schedule. Setting that achievement date too soon can cause a lot of undue stress and detract from the learning experience.”

💡Study Tips: It is a marathon, not a sprint. Commitment to blocking out time to study is essential.

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