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Certified Commercial Investment Member - CCIM

You can certify an "attractive person” a 10. But he or she doesn’t get a badge to tell society how incredibly good-looking they are. All they've got is, uh...their face.

If you’re looking for a token to tell everyone how great you are, try becoming a Certified Commercial Investment Member. This certification means that a person is officially—according to a member organization—an expert in the fields of investment and commercial real estate.

These professionals receive a red pin with the letters CCIM. It’s unclear if they really wear them or if it’s an invitation to give them a swirly in the office bathroom. The CCIM Certification—naturally created by the CCIM Institute—is considered the “Commercial Real Estate’s Gold Standard for Professional Achievement.” Their words…not ours.

Only about 6% out of the 150,000 U.S. commercial real estate professionals have reached this designation. Their secret: taking five classes and a workshop through the trade association that created the designation, and then passing an exam.

Find other enlightening terms in Shmoop Finance Genius Bar(f)