"Certification establishes a certain level of trust that might take a lot longer to achieve without it."

Who are the more than 5,000 talent development professionals who have earned the APTD or CPTD credential? Get to know the talented and diverse community:

Karrin Lukacs is a Learning Program & Staff Development Coordinator credential in 2023.

Why did you pursue the APTD/CPTD? I recently made the transition from higher education to public administration. I pursued the CPTD so that others would have a better sense of my capabilities.

How have you benefited from the credential—professionally and/or personally? Professionally, my CPTD credential has allowed me to network with and learn from people all over the world. Personally, my CPTD credential has given me the confidence to move into a different line of work.

What advice would you share with others considering certification? Talk to people who have the credential you are hoping to earn. I “cold called” people in my organization, connections on LinkedIn, and others asking for 15 minutes of their time, and not a single person turned me down. Those conversations not only helped me to decide that I definitely wanted to pursue the CPTD, but also the best ways for me to study for it.

How do you think certification helps the talent development field? I think that certification provides others with an assurance that the person knows their “stuff” when it comes to talent development. Put another way, I think that certification establishes a certain level of trust that might take a lot longer to achieve without it.

What does having your credential mean to you? I don’t have any formal training in talent development, so having my CPTD gives me confidence in my own abilities.

How did you get into the talent development field? My journey is not a typical one. I started my professional career as a fourth-grade teacher working in lower income neighborhoods. I pursued my PhD while staying at home with my young children and then worked in teacher education at a local university when they started school. After working there for nearly 12 years, I had the opportunity to move into a completely different environment. What I’ve come to realize is that talent development is a much more apt description for what I’ve been doing all these years!

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? “You can be bitter, or you can be better.”

What is a great book you’ve read recently? Professionally: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor | Personally: Small Mercies by Dennis Lahane

What is your favorite hobby or pastime? Searching for treasures at the thrift store

What is the most unusual job you’ve had? I spent a summer refinishing concrete floors in self-storage units.

Have you earned the APTD or CPTD? Share your story with the community.