Perseverance through hardships: One creditor’s journey towards the CBA 

Growing in a field as dynamic as business credit requires continued education, as credit managers rise to meet the new challenges each day brings. Earning a certification through one of NACM and FCIB’s Professional Certification Programs signifies that a credit professional has established themselves as an expert in their community prepared to take on any new obstacle in their way. 

For Jenefer Walker, CBA, credit coordinator for Clyde Companies (Orem, UT), a designation serves as a testament to a credit professionals experience in the field. “It felt important to be able to have some sort of recognition that proved I obtained the knowledge and experience in my field,” Walker said. “Being able to put those three little initials behind my name to support that is important to me.” 

Despite the challenges that earning her Credit Business Associate (CBA) designation while working full time brought, Walker persevered. “I learned I am still capable of learning very difficult things,” Walker said. “I am much smarter than I ever gave myself credit for and I can do anything I set my mind to. Since I had never worked in credit prior to starting my journey, I learned everything I could about it.” 

Credit education opens up a wider world of professionals, as designation seekers have the chance to bond with others across companies. For Walker, the certification journey strengthened her ties within the credit community as she pushed forward to earn her designation despite the hardships she was facing.  

“Getting to know others who were on the same journey as well as the incredible people at NACM and the support they give was my favorite part of the experience,” Walker said. “The most memorable moment was passing Basic Financial Accounting. My husband passed on March 23 last year and my final was on April 23. Pushing through that and passing as well as I did, was an experience I will never forget.” 

📝Study tip: Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to learn everything all at once. “Take it one small piece at a time,” Walker said. “Try to apply it to your work as much as possible.”