Jul 21, 2022
Written by: Heidi Lindgren-Boyce, CCE
At this year’s Credit Congress in Louisville KY, I was awarded the 2022 Credit Executive of Distinction Honoring O.D. Glaus. How did that even happen? How did I get here from where I started in my career in Credit Management? I’ll tell you: Taking advantage of all NACM & CFDD have to offer, staying educated, volunteering locally & nationally, and helping others.
Way back in the “olden days” before PC’s were on everyone’s desk. I was working for a small subcontractor as their receptionist, billing clerk, AP clerk, and payroll clerk using one of those awesome technological wonders – the IBM Selectric typewriter (does anyone even remember those?).
That employer provided absolutely NO education or training, and you had to learn by the ‘seat of your pants’ or you got the ‘pink slip’—very cutthroat days.
In the early 1990’s I started working for a construction rental company that was also a member of NACM (whatever THAT was). I quickly learned that belonging to NACM was the best thing ever! I got to attend my first trade group meeting, my first bankruptcy seminar and my first Washington Lien Law Seminar. All within the first 2 months of my newest employment. How awesome is that? Now we’re cooking!
Then I found out about the CAP and ACAP courses through NACM. What?!?! Actual classes in Credit Management? Sign me up! I paid for my first course out of pocket, but afterward, my company reimbursed me and continued to pay for the rest of my classes.
I often hear people whine about how their employers won’t pay for their education. And I’m even more shocked that they’re not willing to either pay for the classes themselves or worse, apply for free money. Seriously?!?! Have you not heard of free money? They’re called ‘scholarships’ (pronounced “skaa·lr·shuhps”). Yes – say it with me, folks, and put your hands in the air like you just don’t care – Scholarships = Free Money.
Use it to invest in YOURSELF with education. There were very limited scholarships back in 1990’s and yet I was able to do it. Today NACM & CFDD offer all levels of scholarships to pay for conferences, webinars, seminars, credentials, self-learning courses, etc. So if I hear you complaining that your employer won’t pay for your education, I am going to give you the “are you kidding me” look.
Through my current employer, Star Rentals Inc., and through scholarships from NACM locally, NACM nationally, CFDD locally and CFDD nationally, I have attended 16 NACM National Credit Congresses, 11 CFDD Pacific NW Credit Conferences, 5 CFDD National Credit Conferences, 5 NACM Western Regional Conferences, 3 CFDD Midwest/Eastern Conferences, 2 NACM National Legislative Conferences for a total of 41 conferences.
That’s insane! How can anyone possibly remember any of that? (my secret professional life hack: Keep a running excel spreadsheet on all your classes, seminars, conferences, accreditations, and NACM/CFDD Involvement)
Why take all that education? What’s in it for me? What’s in it for my employer? Education makes you better at your job. If you’re better at your job, you’re more likely to be noticed. If you’re noticed, you’re more likely to get promoted. If you’re promoted, you’re more likely to make more money. And don’t just take a couple of seminars or classes and think that’s “good enough.” “Good enough” doesn’t get you ahead of the 20 people applying for the same job or position you want, especially in 2022.
You need to continue to invest in yourself by taking classes and seminars every year, as well as getting involved by volunteering. Volunteering? Yes – NACM needs volunteers to serve on their Boards, their Education Committees, their scholarship committees, their fund-raising committees, their Ask an Expert committee, etc. There are lots of opportunities to serve. You just need to start with one and the road will unfurl in front of you and your career path.
Educating yourself and volunteering keeps you current and ‘relevant.’ Yes – “relevant.” How many people have you worked with over the years that were so stuck in their “old ways,” refusing to change, and/or refusing to use tech? To the point that you wished they would just leave or retire and get out of your way? I’ve run into lots of them. They drive me nuts! Like people who drive in the fast/passing lane at or below the speed limit (are you kidding me?!?)
Continuing Education and Volunteering keeps you ahead of the slow-moving traffic of the annoying “speed bump” worker-b’s. And your employer gets someone who is relevant, educated, the best protector of one of its biggest assets, and helps you mentor others in Credit. If your employer doesn’t appreciate how great you are, well, guess what? You get to take all this education with you to your next job. Yeppers! Your newest employer gets all of your total awesomeness.
So take it from someone from the ‘olden days’ who hand typed progress billings, uncurled thermal fax paper, used 8” IBM Floppy Discs to store data, and manually folded & stuffed invoices/statements into envelopes, to someone who’s rocking it with the internet, billing portals, excel spreadsheets, and zoom. Invest in yourself, embrace the technology, volunteer, and stay educated so that you’re not the one being “passed” by the go-getters of tomorrow.