I’m working towards updating my credentials so that my profile name will eventually read James Praise, MBA, MCIM UK, ANIMN, PMMC. For now, I’ll start with James Praise, MBA, PMMC.
School is not a scam—and neither is education.
I’ve earned over 70 certifications in my marketing career. Not university education, but still education.
I do believe that traditional educational curriculums aren’t evolving quickly enough to keep pace with market innovation, and your time is better spent launching into the deep and building expertise.
After six years of hands-on practice and experience, I now have more clarity on the gaps in my knowledge and expertise. This realization has driven me to pursue formal accreditations to complement my practical experience.
MBA
Throughout my career, I’ve led operations and teams in various roles, including as a Chief Revenue Officer. My academic background is in biochemistry, which is far removed from the foundations of business or marketing. Despite this, I’ve always been willing to do the hard work to figure things out, and most of the time, I’ve succeeded.
However, I’ve always believed that supplementing my expertise with a formal business education could enhance my understanding.
If you really think about it, your favorite tech entrepreneurs have MBAs, and those who dropped out of school often did so from prestigious institutions like Harvard or Stanford, which still provided a strong foundation and network for their entrepreneurial journeys.
Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet (Google's parent company), holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Sheryl Sandberg, the former COO of Meta, earned her MBA from Harvard Business School.
On the flip side, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, both dropped out of Harvard University but went on to establish transformative tech companies.
Over 70% of CEOs in Fortune 500 companies have MBAs, and Mark Zuckerberg & Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard.
Do you think MBAs are worth it?
While I’ve hesitated to return to school in the past, I’m now ready to take this step and pursue an MBA.
I have enrolled in an MBA program at Miva University that will begin in January 2025. The MBA program promises to offer comprehensive business foundations that will supplement my expertise—exploring core disciplines like accounting, finance, marketing, and operations management.
I also plan to specialize in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which aligns with my interests in starting and scaling businesses.
Currently, I’m growing my media business, Marketing In Action, and serving as an executive and advisor to other startup projects. This specialization will further equip me to navigate these ventures effectively.
If you’re considering an MBA at Miva—or any of their programs—they’ll ask who referred you. Let’s not pretend—it was me! Use my referral code, mivajames5650, so they give me my flowers. 😊
CIM, PMA, & NIMN
After practicing in any field for at least five years, I believe it’s essential to seek accreditation from a professional body. This is standard in many professions where practitioners routinely earn certifications as part of their career development.
To mention a few:
Accountants: Chartered Accountant (CA)
Finance Professionals: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
Doctors: Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS)
Lawyers: Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)
Project Managers: Project Management Professional (PMP)
Human Resources Professionals: Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
Healthcare Professionals (Non-MD): Registered Nurse (RN)
Such accreditations serve several purposes:
They signal expertise and dedication to the craft.
They add credibility and prestige to your professional profile.
To this end, I plan to pursue the Level 6 Diploma in Professional & Digital Marketing (MCIM) at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) after completing my MBA.
I’ve also been accepted into the PMA Scholar Program as one of 25 Product Marketers to complete a 12-week program and earn the PMMC™ Product Marketing Accreditation.
In addition, I intend to complete a program with the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) to ensure compliance with marketing regulations in Nigeria.
In late 2023, the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), in collaboration with the Nigerian Police Force, intensified efforts to regulate digital marketing professionals lacking proper accreditation. This initiative led to reported instances of harassment and intimidation of practitioners, including those affiliated with reputable associations such as the Association of Digital Marketing Professionals of Nigeria (ADMARP)—of which I am a member—and the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN).
Technical Marketing & Coding
Beyond business and marketing accreditations, I aim to continue strengthening my technical skills in Marketing & Growth.
Here’s what this looks like for me:
I want to be a technical marketer who can bridge the gap between marketing strategies and technological implementation, not being limited by the constraints of any stack. This also provides leverage in the age of AI, being able to design, manage, and optimize AI tools to drive better results.
Technical marketing refers to all the fields of IT and scientific areas that also play a role in digital marketing, like data analysis, automation, A/B testing, programming, cloud computing, data science, or data engineering.
I’ve attempted to learn coding in the past, but the challenge has been applying the knowledge consistently. Without regular implementation, the skills fade quickly—especially since my work is in marketing rather than web development.
I do think there are many upsides to learning how to code, however.
You’ll be able to (at least theoretically) build almost any website/web app you can think of, and you'll know what the possibilities are.
You'll know what technical vernacular really means; API, user interface, backend vs frontend, database query, HTTP requests—so you can have intelligent conversations with developers.
You'll also not be limited by no-code tools, and having to wait for them to develop capabilities to allow you to build the app ideas you have in your drafts.
It is going to take some time (a few years at least) to power through all of this but it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and the joy is in the journey, not the destination.
That said, I’m also reflecting on an important question: How much is too much when listing degrees and accreditations on your profile? I believe there’s a general rule of thumb for this:
Relevance: Only include degrees or certifications that are directly relevant to your current role or career aspirations.
Hierarchy: List academic degrees first (e.g., MBA), professional certifications next (e.g., PMP), and honorary titles last (if any).
Limit: List no more than three to four designations. Overloading your profile can dilute the impact of your qualifications.
Imagine listing; MBA, MCIM, ANIMN, PMMC, BBC, CNN, APC, PDP, ASAP, LOL, FIFA, NBA, DIY, JAMB, PHCN, WHO, UN, FBI, CIA, and KFC. What do you think?
You can keep up with my accreditation progress on LinkedIn, and if you’d like to see my personal recommendations for MBA programs, business accreditations, marketing accreditations, and technical marketing skill acquisition programs, leave a comment.
Well done, James. Saving this for me.
I have been confused a while now on the certifications and courses to take to develop my marketing skills.
Thank you for taking time to write this.
I’ve written a sequel to this letter to let you know that I am a man of my word.
I said I was going to do it, and I did it.
Today, I am James Praise, MBA, PMMC.
This April, I finished my MBA at Miva Open University with a distinction, a 4.92 CGPA.
And as you may already expect, I've written all about it here: https://realjaymes.substack.com/p/james-praise-mba-pmmc