You can get a CAM license by first enrolling in a prelicensing course online. This is the fstep you’ll want to take if you want to head down a new career path. To understand how the process works, it’s helpful to define the role of a community association manager first.
A community association manager oversees buildings, apartments, or communities that are run and operated by property associations, such as co-ops, homeowner associations (HOAs), or condo organizations. The demand for community association managers is great in Florida, so you have ample opportunities in this field of employment when you receive a CAM designation.
So, how do you go about getting this type of endorsement?
Study for Prelicensing Totally Online
You can study for prelicesing or to take the Florida CAM license course completely online. This course only takes 16 hours so you can conveniently complete it at home and do so in a short matter of time.
Set Up Study Times
However, the course is not something you can breeze through easily. You still have to set up blocks of times during the week to review the material. Usually a block of time of 1 or 2 hours per day should suffice over a period of 4 weekdays.
To make sure you understand the material, listen to the associated videos and take notes. Always go over content that you don’t understand first. You want to make sure you can fully comprehend what you’ve studied before you move on to another section.
Also, be prepared to pay certain fees as they come along. You will need to pay for your prelicensing course, the application processing for licensing, your fingerprint check, and the state exam.
Once you complete the course, you can apply for a license, get finger-print checked, and set up an exam time at a test site. As long as you follow each sequential step, you won’t feel overwhelmed.
You Don’t Have to be a Florida Resident to Get a Florida CAM License
To get a Florida CAM license, you don’t have to live in Florida. You only need to have a social security number and be at least 18 years old. Community association managers must oversee budgets that are quite large – at least $100,000. Therefore, you need to be comfortable with managing financial data as well as business contracts.
Taking a Closer Looks at the Steps You Need to Take for LIcensing and Testing
After you get through with your coursework, you’ll submit an application to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) online, so you can get approved to take the exam. The DBPR will get back by email when you have been okayed for licensing.
After you get this approval, you’ll need to schedule a time to have your fingerprints checked at a fingerprint center. The state of Florida also requires that applicants get background checked.
Schedule Your CAM Exam and Taste the Test at a Test Site
Once you have taken the above steps, you’re ready to schedule your CAM test. Once you get test approval, you’ll receive an ID number so you can schedule testing. This approval lasts a year. Test applicants insert their answers to the test online.
You will have multiple choice answers, or a choice to choose an A, B, C, or D answer. Before the test, applicants may go through a tutorial. The computer at testing sites is easy to navigate, and therefore user-friendly.
Get Ready to Prepare for CAM Testing Now
Now that you have a basic idea of what to expect when taking the CAM exam, you can go through the steps with far more ease and clarity. If you’re seeking an association management opportunity in the property management field, knowing the above steps can prove to be a boon to your career.