IMA’s “myCMA” series spotlights valued members of the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) community. Learn about their journey with the certification—and get tips on advancing your own. This issue’s featured CMA is:
How did you first come across the CMA and why did you decide to pursue it?
I first came across the CMA program in college, where the program was introduced to us by our professors. After learning about the CMA, it became part of my plan to pursue it after I passed the CPA licensure examination, in order to further my studies.
After performing well on the Philippine CPA examination and after gaining one year of work experience as a CPA, I realized that my career could benefit from the CMA certification not only because it is globally recognized but also because it could help me provide better insights and value to my current work. In addition, the rise of AI motivated me to pursue the CMA certification to remain competitive. With the advent of AI, the CMA certification helps professionals like me stay relevant through our analytical skills. In other words, the CMA certification increases my value as a professional in this competitive industry.
In what ways has the CMA made an impact on your career or professional journey?
First, the CMA certification improved my knowledge base due to the competency requirements of the program. This is important because the accounting profession has always been competitive with many accounting and finance professionals offering the same technical skills.
Second, it increased and strengthened my network due to the professionals I met as an IMA member. This network has provided me with many different career opportunities and has broadened the room for career growth.
What is your proudest career moment or milestone as a CMA?
My proudest career milestone as a CMA to date was earning the second-highest score for the May and June 2019 CMA exam testing window. I look forward to surpassing that milestone by providing more value to my work through the insights and technical skills I gained through my CMA certification.
What’s the best piece of advice you would give to CMA hopefuls?
Set the CMA certification as your current goal and dedicate a specific amount of time every day to prepare for the exam. You don’t have to spend all day preparing. In fact, I prepared for the exam during the busy audit season. This proves that it can coincide with work as long as you allot enough time for it regularly.
For those taking the exam, what study tip(s) can you share?
The simplest yet most effective advice I could give is to know and understand the basics and build on that foundation to understand more complex topics. Don’t just memorize the answer but understand the rationale behind the answer. This method of studying not only benefits you in the multiple-choice part of the exam but also with the essays as well.
If you could have one superpower in the world, what would it be?
Definitely super intelligence. This would be useful to the advancement of humankind.
Share YOUR Story
We’d love to hear your CMA story! Please contact Lori Parks, staff writer/editor, at lori.parks@imanet.org.