Certification Secrets: Maureen Drummey on How to Make Your ‘Better’ Your ‘Best’

The “Certification Secrets” series features top instructors, examiners, and PSIA-AASI National Team members sharing their personal advice, experience, and insight on how you can start planning and practicing to reach your professional goals.

In the third installment of the series, Mount Snow, Vermont, Ski & Ride School Senior Manager Maureen Drummey, who is on the PSIA-AASI Eastern Alpine Education staff and a member of the National Children’s Task Force, shares the strategies, resources, and personal lessons learned to help you achieve advanced certification.

Q: Why would you recommend to other professional instructors that they aspire to gain advanced certification or specialist credentials?

A: I recommend advanced certification so they can continue to grow as a professional and an individual. Especially for folks who are working in the industry for more than just one season, it’s important to know how to do things and to connect with your guests.

This quote sums it up: “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” – Tim Duncan (NBA MVP).

Q: How would you set up a strategy for members to achieve advanced certification or specialist credentials this season?

A: By setting up a flow chart for members to navigate based on their interests (I am a visual person). If you want to teach children, understand the CS1 and CS2 and how to get there and what’s required to achieve them.

Q: What are some of the key resources – both personal and professional – that you would recommend to help guide them?

A: The PSIA-e mentorship program is great., local ski and ride school training managers, and a variety of YouTube videos.

Q: What are some of the key takeaways from your own certification/specialist story – both good and bad – and what did you learn from them?

A: Good: I had some people encourage me along the way and help train me (examiners at my home mountain).

Bad: I went through the process just fine but was the only female throughout most of my certification process. I raced in college and traveled with the men’s team for years, so I was accustomed to it. It’s not easy for sure.

I stayed with the organization while expanding my family and then dealing with cancer, so I “paused” certification between Advanced Children’s Educator and PSIA Development Team.

For others: Some folks feel like it’s a personal blow when they don’t pass. I’ve had a few people who I recommended that they do more training first because they didn’t meet the criteria and they were super upset when they didn’t pass. Missing the training manager or director signature on the form makes this difficult to control.

Q: How do you build on your experiences if you don’t achieve advanced certification or specialist credential?

A: Do you meet the criteria? Was it validated by a trainer or two? Did you practice to make sure you own the skills in many weather/snow conditions? What did you miss and how can you fill that void? But, you don’t want to make it like they’re checking the boxes. You want the training and what they learn to spill into their lessons to have success. That’s the point of certification, right?

Q: How do you build on your successes if you do?

A: What do you do well? How can you integrate that into things that you need to work on/improve on? I share my successes with others, and each time I share I do better and am more comfortable.

Q: What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started on this journey?

A: My journey started 30-plus years ago. I’m happy with my journey. I do hear from others that when they join and get Level I in March, they’re put off by the dues bill that arrives in June. Any way we can make their next year included? I do wish more of the general public knew more about certifications. I wish PSIA-AASI had more of a sway in resorts and what they pay for the different levels of certifications. My resort does distinguish between levels, but I know some smaller resorts don’t recognize cert levels.

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Read the first two “Certification Secrets” Q&As: 2021 Education Excellence Award Recipient Stacey Gerrish and PSIA-AASI Eastern Examiner Bonnie Kolber.