Professional certification instills confidence in credit professionals of all experience levels 

Credit management is an ever-evolving field, with technology and automation revolutionizing the day-to-day work of many credit professionals. While the field may be in constant motion, it is important to truly hone the fundamental principles of credit. Participating in one of NACM and FCIB’s Professional Certification Programs and earning a designation is a testament to your commitment to refining your skills and advancing your career.  

Amelia Rose, CBA, credit manager at CKS Packaging LLC (Atlanta, GA), was encouraged to pursue her Credit Business Associate (CBA) designation by her mentor and fellow credit professionals. “I was in a highly stressful environment and was burned out most days, and that deterred me from continuing education opportunities at first,” Rose said. “However, attending Credit Congress and networking with other credit professionals always gave me a sense of wanting to become better.”   

Whether your designation journey begins at the start of your credit career or after years of work, furthering your education can ignite a passion for credit management. “I’ve been in credit management to some degree for 16 plus years,” Rose said. “To master the first level of the education designation was a personal achievement.” 

Pursuing education years into your career can be refreshing for those credit managers who haven’t been in a classroom since college. “I was pleasantly surprised at how much I was able to pick up, especially pertaining to the foundation of credit,” Rose said. “I was an accounting major in college and struggled through the financial statements. This time around I was able to pick things up easily with the material provided. I’m pretty sure that working knowledge also played a part, but if I had the videos back then, things probably would have been slightly different.” 

📝Study Tip: Immersing yourself in the material can help you not only memorize the information, but it can help you truly understand the content. “I listened to the videos in my car on my commute to and from work,” Rose said. “Writing a lot of the information down and creating my own hand-written visuals helped tremendously.” 

What’s next? Connect and learn from industry experts, leading vendors and fellow NACM and FCIB members at NACM’s 129th Credit Congress & Expo in Cleveland, Ohio this May 2025. Register here!