As you can imagine, during my preparation for the CSCA exam, I read a great deal about strategy—specifically about the importance of a mission and vision statement in guiding the development of an organization’s strategy. IMA’s mission and vision are focused on practice development and knowledge sharing, and so the certificate programs I mentioned are just two examples of how IMA carries out its mission and vision. As members, you can participate in these or many of the other learning opportunities to help you develop professionally, which is another part of IMA’s vision—to be the resource for developing, certifying, connecting, and supporting the world’s best accountants and financial professionals within business.
The CSCA certification is available to anyone who has earned the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) certification. (In fact, you can take the CSCA exam upon successful completion of the CMA exam, though you still need to fulfill all the CMA requirements, including work experience). But there are so many more resources available, all of which are offered to drive value for members. Among these are:
- IMA Leadership Academy webinars,
- Count Me In® podcasts, which cover all things affecting the accounting and finance world,
- Statements on Management Accounting (SMAs),
- CPE offerings on the latest and emerging topics in the profession, including on the topic of ethics (members receive two free hours of ethics each membership year through an annual Ethics Token),
- The new Diversity & Inclusion tool kit, and
- CareerDriver® and other career resources.
Take advantage of these opportunities to help you become one of the world’s best accountants and financial professionals within business. In so doing, you’re helping IMA fulfill its mission and achieve its vision.
I look forward to the day when I can post my digital badge for earning the CSCA certification. I would like to hear your stories of how IMA offerings have been valuable to your personal or professional development. I welcome your comments on this or any other topic at paul.juras@imanet.org.
October 2020
