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Why CMA?

  


We are living in a very interesting time when we can get an access to any professional education, anytime and without even leaving our homes.
They say that the sky is the limit and that it so true!
Even if you already know what are your preferences and ambitions, you may still face a challenge of choosing what exact educations you need considering tons of options available.
In this article we share with you main advantages of pursuing the credentials offered by Institute of Management accountants and help you to make decision to choose one of them with confidence.

Longevity

In 2019 Institute of Management Accountant celebrated 100 years of success as globally recognized and highly respected professional association in finance area. The keystone and pride of the Institute is the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) – exclusive credential that helps many professionals around the World to advance in their career and is around for more than 50 years already. And its recent addition, the CSCA or Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis – complementary certification available to IMA Members after successful completion of the CMA.

Global footprint

You can name the country and be sure that it will be well represented by IMA certified professionals as well as local IMA Chapters who can truly advocate for IMA Member benefits and career growth opportunities.

Comprehensive curricular

IMA certificates cover all fundamental disciplines that are currently required from professionals across different functions within the companies and applicable in many industries.
It is a wonderful choice for candidates who is new to finance or for candidates who want to accelerate their knowledge and expertise in specific finance topics.  
Though it necessitates a deep-dive learning into 12 core areas there is no need in actual accounting number crunching.
That’s what makes it so attractive to candidates as well as to employers who often put CMA credentials as a requirement for open finance positions.
Learn more about 12 core areas covered by CMA.

Costs

Compared to many university degrees or other professional designations, IMA certifications is a much smaller investment for the same quality of the outcome.
The costs include IMA membership, enrollment to CMA or CSCA programs, registration for each exam (two exams for CMA and one for CSCA) and any costs associated with the preparation to the exams. Latter is a personal choice of each candidate. However, high demand on IMA certifications creates a big choice of exam preparation courses,  materials and tools available.
Another implicit cost is the time that you can and want to spend obtaining your desired credentials. With IMA you can set yourself a target to complete CMA in 1 year – few testing windows are available within a year and in case of CMA exams can be taken in any order.
Additionally, IMA supports young professionals and offers numerous benefits including scholarship programs and students discounts.

We will be happy to hear what were your criterias of choosing IMA certifications and how it helped you in your career.

Olga A Chernikova, CMA
IMA Swiss Chapter

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