As the banking landscape becomes more digital, bankers are looking to expand on their skills to reflect changing customer needs. Jackson Li tells us about studying for the Certificate in Retail and Digital Banking (CertRDB) qualification why he loves his job, and he shares his tips on fitting study around work.
What were you doing before you did CertRDB?
I recently completed my Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Cardiff University, before joining Monzo Bank as a Customer Service Representative. Before I started my CertRDB journey, I was part of the Business Banking and Financial Crime teams.
What made you decide to CertRDB?
Having worked in a digital bank, I was already exposed to the changing landscapes of everyday banking due to digital disruption. I wanted to gain more of an insight into the theory behind what I do in my day-to-day role.
CertRDB went in depth about areas which I am very familiar with, as well as areas in which I wanted more experience in. This gave me a holistic view of how banks operate.
How did you find CertRDB?
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The course being delivered online made it much more user friendly than just studying from a textbook. The learning materials were also very informative and covered a range of banking areas, as well as providing useful examples throughout the course.
Some topics on the course may not seem as relevant to your role as others but could be useful information to know in general. For example, if your focus is purely on banking then mortgage advice might not be completely applicable to your career path. However, that information could benefit you later in your personal life.
What’s the most challenging thing about fitting study around work?
I think the hardest part is probably getting started and finding the mental energy to do a couple of hours of reading after finishing work. But once you get the first ten minutes out the way, you’ll feel more focused and motivated to carry on.
Have you got any tips for those doing CertRDB?
My first advice would be to book the exam just so you have a date to aim for. Then you can figure out how much time you would need to complete each topic or specimen paper.
From there, make a revision timetable and try your best stick to it. Things are bound to come up expectedly – don’t panic when this happens and just update your timetable accordingly instead.
Also, if you’re really worried about balancing your studies with work, you could always book some time off as study leave.
What’s the best thing about working in banking?
I love the variety – I encounter many different queries from customers, all of which require different approaches for resolving the issue at hand. This stops the job from becoming monotonous and keeps it exciting.
The constant human interaction also makes it worthwhile.
Any thoughts on what you might do next?
I’m looking into further specialising in anti-money laundering (AML). A lot of people become victims of quite devastating crimes, so working in AML can contribute to curbing these criminal behaviours.
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