5 Ways CfPIE Pharmaceutical Certifications Advance Your Career

CfPIE certification pathways offer many benefits to organizations and individuals. One of the main advantages for individual scientists or professionals is that they can help advance your career. Certifications can help you obtain employment because they highlight your qualifications, but did you know they can benefit your career in other, more indirect ways? Here are 5 subtle ways pharmaceutical certifications can give you the edge you need to get ahead in the industry.

#1: Certifications Demonstrate Professionalism and Dedication

Certifications demonstrate to everyone around you that you take your work — and by extension, your organization — seriously. At the risk of sounding cliché, actions always speak louder than words. It takes a long time to obtain the basic background education necessary to get to the critical part of your learning. Now that you've arrived, any additional knowledge obtained is going to have a much stronger impact than anything learned prior. In other words, you've come this far — that last 1% can help you maximize your potential, in exchange for what amounts to comparatively little effort.

#2: Certifications Boost Your Employer’s Confidence in Your Ablitiies

Certification helps instill your current (or future) employer's confidence in you. You may know that you subscribe to only the very highest scientific standards, but are you certain that your employer knows? In the absence of the tests and grades that once helped solidify your academic reputation, certification is a great way to prove that you are still on top. Much like good grades on a report card, certifications look great on your resume.

#3: Certifications Keep You Up-to-Date on the Latest Trends, Technologies, and Developments

Certification also ensures that you keep abreast of new developments in your field. Who has the time to pore over journal literature after a long day in the lab? Journal editors, that's who. Unless you're an editor, it's much more efficient to allow a reputable organization to track and consolidate the information you need to know.

#4: Certification Assists with Career Advancement - Raises and Promotions

Certification gives you an edge when it comes to getting raises, getting promoted, or moving laterally within your organization. It offers a real, concrete advantage over your peers, and not just a general "more education is better" kind of advantage.

Raises: CE (continuing education) courses offer additional skills that can directly affect your compensation rate. A specific example of a way in which a class can maximize your earning potential is the PDCP certification. This certification includes courses that teach effectiveness and efficiency for those in pharmaceutical development positions. Saving your employer time and money is a surefire way to get ahead in any industry, let alone in one that incurs significant costs bringing a product to market.

Promotions: CE courses provide additional knowledge that may prove invaluable at the most unexpected times. For example, at the next meeting, it may be you who offers a solution to the chronic problem your team has been facing, which could make you the ideal candidate for a promotion. 
 

Branching Out: Certifications can also give you an advantage when attempting to move horizontally, either within your organization or outside of it. For example, if you would like to branch out into drug metabolism, what better way to demonstrate your ability to succeed in your future position than to take the ADME, PK/TK & Drug Metabolism in Drug Discovery and Development course? There are many options available for education — you are by no means limited to your current discipline.

#5: Certification Courses Expand Your Professional Network

"Networking" might be an answer to the question "What is an example of a necessary evil?". Therefore, it makes sense to kill two birds with one stone and network while earning a certificate. CfPIE courses are a painless — and dare we say, enjoyable — way to meet industry experts and leaders, as you have something immediately relevant to discuss. Chances are, the managers and department heads are attending the classes by necessity. A great way to stand out among your peers is to participate by choice. 

Career advancement does not happen overnight. Like many things in life, it happens - or, sometimes, does not happen - in small, often inconspicuous steps. Therefore, it is important to plan your approach and allow yourself every possible advantage. Continuing education classes are a way to do just that.