My Journey of Becoming a Chartered Accountant

Hi Friends, I am Dhruv Nandani. I just cleared my CA Final Exam in May 2014 in my 1st Attempt. I would like to share my journey with you all.

Well, it all started in my IX standard when I attended a career guidance course because till then I always saw myself as an Engineer. Being a decently above average student in my school days, everyone advised me to join the Science Stream till the time the career guidance counselor advised me to join commerce and recommended me a MBA or CA as my career option. Well at that time I considered CA as a average career and though I was not able to decide whether to pursue MBA or CA, but I had surely zeroed in on the thought to take commerce.

Then scoring a decent percentage in my X standard I got into N.M. College that is generally the first preference of anyone joining commerce in Mumbai. Then as time passed after people started thinking of their career options post their junior college and as most of the people who know N.M. say if you are in N.M it requires no amount of efforts to convince you for C.A.

So then I registered for my Chartered Accountancy Course and started studying. Though quite unsure as to what to do in my future I started to enjoy the curriculum very soon and though quite unsure of clearing my CPT exam I managed a decent score and missed the 10th Rank by 2 marks.

Then it was time for IPCC, well the start to studies was pretty decent but with people all around you to give you free advices and the fear of people who actually couldn't clear left me with the dilemna as to whether to appear for 1 group or both groups and again quite unsure of clearing in my 1st attempt I registered for CS foundation 1 month before my IPCC exam and decided to give most of my time to the 1st group with appearing for the 2nd group in the balancing time. Well, this time post exams I was so sure of not being able to clear my 2nd group that, before my results I started studying for my 2nd group. To my surprise and joy I managed to clear both my groups with a total of 151 in the 2nd group. Well soon to realise I wasn't passionate about CS and I left it without appearing even for the foundation exam.

Well then after completing around two years of my articleship was the time when the final was approaching. I started studying a bit or more before my leave period, but the leave period of 6 months I would say was revolutionary and not only evolutionary, it is a time when you understand a lot about yourself, try to pull your self a lot above your normal capabilities, it is the time that hardens you. Dedication, perseverance, patience, keeping aside almost all your opportunities to enjoy, setting aside your emotions, seeing a 21 year old dream at striking distance and still facing times when you feel you are overdone with your studies going through tough times and at times you feel you don't want to have a sight of your books. But with the motivation of a few teachers, talking with friends at regular intervals and motivational songs and stories I managed to survive the tough times. Even the exam days were very much frightening with some papers being so tough making the chances of clearing the exams very much dim. But as they say it

"TO HAVE SOMETHING YOU HAVE NEVER HAD, 

YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING YOU HAVE NEVER DONE" even I managed to live the experience and when you look back it is an experience that would make you proud of and have a sense of belief in yourself.

Well then it was time for results and till the time you press the submit button and see your results you don't know what life has in store for you.This time I had the hope of clearing but lacked the belief. So, it was a relief when it was through and a little bit of pride of clearing the Chartered Accountancy course in my 1st attempt all through.

Well the best things that this result gave me was:-

1. A point to prove myself for those who underestimated me

2. A thing to be proud of to those who had faith me and

3. A decent amount of respect.

Well when I think of life as what's ahead now I find myself a bit confused and it seems to me as a new beginning, stepping into a new phase of life and some amount of confidence of a decent achievement in the past.

And to people who didn't manage to get through I would like to say that its the process that hardens us and not the end result that matters, because the end result of life is just death. So face the process as a challenge and I would like to quote one of my professors "Jis din CA banke nikal jaoge na, saare paap dhul jayenge". 

Also what this journey taught me the formula to success as one of my sirs taught me "Koi bhi chiz hath me lo, aur usme jaan daal do"  and to all those who managed to get through, welcome to the new side of life, a new beginning and forever remember one thing as Steve Jobs says it,

"Stay Hungry, Stay foolish!!"