CCSM - how did you obtain this credential, and what inspired you to pursue it?

Yup...Jason Whitehead!  Check this out!  https://adopttec.com/

Agree @Matthew Vadala.  I've had some challenges myself and I have some great experience in the field.

sad, but true. 

@Kevin Mitchell Leonor I can assure you there are plenty of recruiters and hiring managers who are doing their part to keep a number of people out of the position, else I think I would have had more of a shot at landing a spot than I have so far 

as far as being an industry standard, i know there are many jockeying for position to be the one. I've actually advised on a couple of them. In my opinion, I would like to see an hours of competency requirement similar to a number of certifications out their like PMP for example. It holds more weight than just being someone who can pass a test. Yet, it does make it a much harder barrier of entry like project manager is. Eventually as the field matures, that is a direction i would like to see since it actually provides a compensatable certification like others do.

I've known Jason Whitehead but did not know he also works on this CS cert.

whoa. would love to hear those funky ideas if you recall any.

Agree there is no industry standard yet.  The Customer Success Association along with other leaders in the industry are working on that as we speak.  

Unfortunately there is no industry standard yet like you have with the PMP from the PMI consortium.

I had great success with TheSuccessLeague's certification program: https://www.thesuccessleague.io/training. It is rooted in research on what actually increases commercial success, not just what everyone is doing. (Believe me, there is a difference). In addition, it has a Leader and a Practitioner track that are in sync, so that there is no gap between strategic vision and tactical execution.

I have seen too many CSM's go through a program and get some "funky ideas" that are not in line with the goals their leaders set.

The Success League also offers a certification, in addition to other learning tracks and individual sessions.  I've worked with Kristen Hayer many times in the past few years and have nothing but great things to say.  I've used them for 2 different onsite events for our team, and I've also had some leadership training 1:1 with Kristen.  Highly recommend.  Last, I'll also throw in another vote for SuccessHacker.  

@Matthew Vadala I'm actually freelance and out of work right now, looking for full-time work so I understand.  I see@"Jared Spencer Orr" responded also.  He's recommending the same program.  

I received my first CCSM from https://adopttec.com/?ref=cd25b4

Check it out!

Thanks, I'll look into this. Though looking for something preferably not subscription based while currently being out of work and only trying to first break in to the CS field

Hi @Matthew Vadala ,

I received a CS Leadership certification through Tri-Tuns, Inc.  There "Customer Success Masterminds" program (fairly new program) is subscription based and is ongoing training in CS, if you prefer to continue even after you receive your certification.  The subscription also includes joining some Instructor lead discussions/meetups and the certification is included in the price as well.  There are two separate tracks, a cost for early CS career professionals and then one that continues on for leadership best practices if that's your focus.   The founders of this program are two entrepreneurs, Jason Whitehead of Tri-Tuns and Sue Nabeth Moore, both with over 20 years of related experience.  Check out Jason's profile and reach out to him directly if you're interested in learning more about this program.  I found it helpful.  Let him know I referred you. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonwhitehead/

Ahh okay @Scott Smith , I wasn't sure if Level 1 would be apt for me considering its basic. I saw their trainings, workshops and the constant promotions - it was around $990 or something.

I have done the CCSM 1 certification. When you go to sign up, it ends up being $49, which I felt like I could swing. I found it to be worthwhile b/c I've been doing customer success my entire career, but this put the terms and lingo around everything for me. I am debating whether to do the rest of the CCSM progression. FWIW, you may be able to find some funding out there to pay for this kind of training especially if you are a covid casualty like me. I'm interested in hearing more comments from others, very helpful!

For those that have done, are doing the CCSM certification courses, are you listing it in your linkedin headline in addition to showing the certification in the certification area? 

Hey @Jan Young , I am curious if you may have been looking at the Gainsight University  program which has since been replaced with the Gainsight Pulse+ program. My personal opinion is each program has its advantages. There is also the Practical CSM program you may want to check out. 

Hey @Sidd , I checked before posting as when I went through the SuccessHACKER Level 1 it was actually very reasonable. It does however look like they have recently changed the pricing. It still appears to be a little less than the Gainsight Pulse+ program. 

Gainsight and Successhacker. My company did not provide Customer Success training so I went out and got my own

As far as other industry certifications go, there is a capstone exam to certify knowledge which comes at a separate cost. Is the course cost inclusive, and at it's conclusion you're certified for the level offered by the course? Or is there a separate exam to have to pay to take? My research has only shown me courses.

@Matthew Vadala @Sidd I just looked online at Gainsight, but they are not accepting new people for their CS online courses, just Admin/ Developer courses. That's disappointing. I'm taking Success Coaching CS 101 right now. It's pretty good, but they did not mention TTV as a metric in their metrics overview. Their CS 101 doesn't discuss Customer Journey mapping, but I found a course on LinkedIn about it.

Sure, Check it out. I've heard Success Hacker is expensive though.

thanks for this tip!

Hey @Matthew Vadala , I haven't yet posted but I did get certified through Gainsight. They offer 2 courses, basic and advanced. I personally learnt a lot from both the courses and understand the  usual CS jargon such as TTV (Time to Value), NRR (Net Retention Rate). The courses give you a detailed overview of CS as a function and also introduces you to concepts such as the various facets of Customer Lifecycle , Customer Journey mapping, Success plans, etc.