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  • 1.  CSCA certification

    Posted 08-27-2024 05:15 AM

    Hi All,

    I have completed both part of US CMA. I am currently working as VP in finance in a multinational bank in India. I was going through CSCA certification and wanted to know from someone who has done the certification and how it really helped them in their career. Any guidance will be much appreciated.

    regards

    Mohit

    Chennai (India)



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    Mohit Mukim
    Vice President
    CHENNAI TN
    India
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  • 2.  RE: CSCA certification

    Posted 08-28-2024 08:59 AM

    Hi Mohit,

    I've taken the CSCA, and was also a VP of finance, although in a corporate setting.  

    If you have not studied Strategy before in depth, or it was a while ago (25 years ago for me), the CSCA education is a great way to get immersed in it, and understand your company in relation to its industry, competition, and the future of your market.  It provides a very good overview of different elements of true strategic management, versus the operational elements everyone is normally preoccupied with.  

    If you have studied Strategy recently, the program acts as a good reminder, and may spur new thinking about your company and the potential directions you may want to help lead it in the future.

    In either case, there is tremendous value in the learning, but more importantly, in the application of the knowledge to your company, and in the discussions you will have with leadership about the future.  If nothing else, it helps you understand communications from your leaders about the industry and the competitive aspects you may be facing.

    The certification is good for marketing yourself to other companies or other audiences (including your management team), but the real value is the knowledge gained, and the ability to apply it, and make a difference in your organization.  For me specifically, it did help me to refine my thinking about my organization's strategy, and focus on the fundamentals that would make a difference, in both the short-term and the long-term, and it may have contributed to me getting a new position (which is always hard to tell).



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    Russ Porter
    Professor of Finance, Sacred Heart University
    Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA
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