How to Earn a Banking Certificate
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- Online banking certifications prepare graduates for entry-level careers in less than one year.
- Community colleges and professional organizations provide online banking certificates.
- Certificates for mid-level careers take between 6 and 24 months.
- Tellers and bill collectors only need a high school diploma to begin working.
Online banking certificates help professionals advance in their careers and earn more money in a growing industry. Business and financial operations occupations will likely grow by 8% from 2020-2030, on pace with the average rate for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employers will add some 750,800 new positions each year.
Tellers, bill and account collectors, and branch managers can earn certificates from community colleges, vocational schools, online schools, or professional organizations to compete for jobs in this ever-evolving sector.
Investing the time and money to earn a certificate offers industry recognition from other professionals and future employers. Credentials can also train you in specialized areas of finance and banking, such as fraud prevention or digital banking.
Read on to learn more about how long it takes to complete banking certification courses, what you may learn, and how much money you can make.
What Are the Requirements for a Banking Certificate?
There is no universal banking certification for all industry occupations. Tellers, bank managers, customer service representatives, financial consultants, and health savings account experts can all find specific online banking certificates to grow their specific careers.
Online banking certificates for professionals at the beginning stage of their career need minimal qualifications, which vary by school and professional agency. Usually, students must:
- Possess a high school diploma or GED
- Complete an online application and submit a fee
- Maintain at least a "C" grade average in all certification courses
- Have reliable computer and internet connection to attend class
- Pass a certificate exam
What Skills Will I Learn With a Banking Certificate?
- Basic accounting principles for banking transactions
- Interpersonal communication skills
- Critical thinking and analytical skills
- Oral and writing abilities
- Understanding of the history and role of the American banking system
- Knowledge of the legal and ethical responsibilities of working in banking
- Theories techniques to provide quality customer service
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Is a Banking Certificate Worth It?
Career advancement in banking comes from on-the-job experience, higher degrees, and/or professional development, such as credentials.
What career path you intend to follow will influence what certificate or education you need. For instance, certificate programs for the Certified Modern Banking Representative Exam provide a pathway to entry-level banking positions — such as tellers and customer service representatives — that usually require on-the-job experience. Programs teach students about laws in banking, quality customer service, identifying fraud, and current banking issues and trends.
Certificates, such as the American Bankers Association's Digital Banker Certificate, also give current banking professionals the skills to compete in an increasingly digitized industry. Students set the pace for online courses, watching lectures and completing readings when they want. Schools and professional organizations often provide flexible start and end dates.
These beginner-level certificates suit workers at any level in banking, even those with no banking or accounting knowledge.
What Jobs Can I Get With a Banking Certificate?
Bank Teller
Bank tellers serve as the face of a company at banks and other financial institutions. Bank tellers need to understand the products available and have the basic skills to do banking procedures such as withdrawals and deposits. This job often requires settling issues and communicating effectively with customers.
Banking Customer Service Representative
On the phone, by email, or through live chats, customers get answers and advice from banking customer service representatives. Many clients now do their banking via mobile apps. Customer service representatives must often help clients resolve technical issues.
Banking Supervisors and Team Leaders
Banking supervisors and team leaders oversee employees. They handle interpersonal, payroll, and customer disputes. The job also requires hiring staff and providing motivation and rewards to current team members.
How Much Money Can I Make With a Banking Certificate?
At all levels of banking, professionals can benefit from earning certificates. Their earnings reflect their job level, their education, and credentials. According to the BLS, bank tellers earned a median annual salary of $36,310 as of 2021, with the top 10% earning $46,320. Bank tellers work for management and credit intermediation companies.
Positions such as bill and account collectors made a median annual salary of $37,700 in 2021. Bill and account collectors working in management companies and healthcare made the most, with respective salaries of $41,100 and $38,190.
Frequently Asked Questions About Banking Certificates
Which certificate course is best for banking?
This depends on the person and their job. The right certificate could provide access to a banking career or promotion to a senior position. Some certificates offer recognition of a professional's expertise in a specialized area of accounting or financing.
Courses in the banking certification should meet your professional needs and provide an up-to-date curriculum that covers the industry's current trends, practices, and technology. Many certificate programs hire instructors with long-term industry experience to teach courses. This allows students to benefit from expert knowledge and also get a reference for future jobs or college admissions.
What to study for banking jobs?
People who work in banking find jobs right out of high school or after earning a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree. Every job requires a basic understanding of financial accounting, principles of banking, macroeconomics, interpersonal communication, customer relations and marketing, and English composition.
Banking jobs also require knowledge of industry-related technology and computer skills. Colleges or certificates provide specialized knowledge of areas of banking, such as marketing, financial planning, asset management, fraud, and risk and compliance.
Is banking a good career?
Yes. While jobs in business and financial operations will grow by 8% from 2020-2030, every banking sector will see different job growth rates or declines. Employment for customer service representative positions will grow on pace with the average increase for all jobs, with roughly 361,700 new positions added to the market each year. Positions for tellers will decline by 17% during that time, but employers will still create 33,700 new positions every year.
Much of banking has become handled by machines and artificial intelligence. However, bank tellers still need to handle complicated transactions and client questions and grievances.
