CMA / Career help
Hey everyone,
Looking for some perspective from people further along the finance ladder.
Quick background:
- Senior Financial Analyst with about 8 years in corporate finance (BSBA + MBA in Finance).
- Report directly to our CFO. Heavy involvement in strategic/5-year planning and system rollouts; expecting a bump to FP&A Manager early next year.
- Ultimate goal is the CFO seat. The path at my current org is a little unclear but i assume it will be something like this (FP&A Mgr -> Director -> VP -> CFO), my manager followed similar but more acc focused (Controller -> VP of Finance -> CFO)
The issue:
My biggest weak spot is hands-on accounting. I don’t do accounting day-to-day, but I’m constantly dealing with GL hierarchies, payment flows, chart of accounts setup, and close-related issues. Because I never worked in pure accounting, I feel a step behind in those conversations with our accounting team and the current controller. I also worry that maybe not understanding this stuff could hurt me long term in promotion potential (though i am learning i am hoping to expedite the learning process).
My thought process:
I’m considering studying for the CMA. I thought about just taking a couple of accounting classes, but if I’m putting in the hours, having an actual credential feels a lot more useful on a resume long-term. I have pondered the thought of a CPA but I am not sure I want to commit to studying for that yet. however, maybe after the CMA it would be easier? idk
Any thoughts?