10 years of being a Chartered Accountant : Musings, learnings and more !

I saw a lot of LinkedIn posts last week on the results of the Chartered Accountants Examination and it brought back a strong wave of nostalgia and the realization that it’s been 10 years since I cleared this examination! A decade of being a CA, that does sound pretty cool ??

I still remember and many of you fellow CAs will agree with me -the inexplicable delight on seeing the result and the golden words ‘PASS’ and also the earth-shattering anxiety, frustration and fear in that exact 1 second between inputting your roll number and till the screen refreshes with your score.

Its truly been a wonderful journey and thanks to these LinkedIn posts I couldn’t help but reflect on how I have evolved as a person and a professional along the way.

It has been a fulfilling, enriching and exciting adventure till date.

Thought of sharing some of the lessons I have learnt along the way-from the day I qualified as a Chartered Accountant till date.

Read on:

1. ????Don’t rest on laurels

The CA course is tough. It takes a lot out of you, and it teaches you a lot too.

However, the thing to remember is qualifying as a CA is just the beginning and your future career path is solely dependent on the efforts you take after you qualify. There will be lots of things to learn, absorb and even unlearn. While your degree can help you secure and also ace an interview, your success will be determined on how you perform at your job/business

Let your CA degree be the first in a glorious and even bigger set of laurels to follow in the future!

2. Don’t be money minded but know your worth

One of the most apt ways to assess whether you have enough money or not is to ask the question’ If I wanted to, could I purchase this’? You don’t necessarily have to make the purchase but knowing that you could afford it if you wanted to is a powerful feeling.

I personally believe in a simple lifestyle and a minimalistic approach however it’s important to know your worth in the job market. Many a times we are comfortable and/or busy with our jobs, ignoring the market changes and other factors.

Keep on analyzing what your skills are worth, whether you need to hon any new ones, or sharpen the existing ones. Talk with peers, talk with experts.

Its all about striking a balance between how much you are being paid and how much you enjoy what you are doing. It doesn’t always have to be a catch 22 situation ??

3. ?Network to increase your net worth

Till you qualify as a CA, you are in a bubble which consists of long studying sessions which could lead to you being isolated from the world for some time.

One thing which I really struggled with after clearing the exam and in my first job was to ‘talk’ with colleagues. And yes, it doesn’t help much if you are an introvert like me!

Over the years, I have understood the importance and need of having a strong network. Its paramount to stay connected with folks and to develop those connections.

Another question to which you need to find an answer is ' What do I have to offer to my professional network?'

There are many ways of doing this. LinkedIn is a great platform, So are the various events arranged by ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and other professional bodies you may be affiliated with.

As with any other skill, this takes practice too and requires venturing out of your comfort zone.

But trust me, its all worth it ??

4. ?G for Grit and G for grounded

For anyone who has faced failures in these exams will understand and appreciate the frustration, pain and eventually acceptance which comes with having to accepting failure and getting up to face these exams again. With this realization comes an innate sense of humbleness which goes a long way in shaping your personality along the career path!

If I look back at those years when I was giving the CA exams, I might not remember the syllabus in detail, but I certainly remember that what got me through it was grit, nothing else. It’s precisely ??this beautiful mélange of excellent qualities this course naturally imbibes in you.

As I said earlier, the course takes a lot from you but gives you much more in return.

It’s been one hell of an adventure there’s a lot more to be done, to be experienced and to cherish!

As Robert Frost rightly says,

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep