Chartered Accountants, as the hefty term suggests, are leading business professionals, recognized around the world as experts in finance, accountancy, audit and tax. There is no question about the vast variety of opportunities awaiting young and fruitful as well as old and experienced chartered accountants. If you feel like you want to pursue this prestigious course but do not want to blindly hit the road, you have landed yourself at the right place. You will find chartered accountants working in every part of the economy, providing advice and financial expertise that informs and guides the managements engaged in various industries.
The professional title of a Chartered Accountant is earned from and awarded by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on successful completion of the course.
The course of Chartered Accountancy is divided into 4 steps:
- CA Foundation (4 papers)
- CA Intermediate (8 papers)
- Articleship Training (3 years)
- CA Final (8 papers)
A student can also avoid CA Foundation and gain direct entry, provided you are a graduate with a minimum prescribed score or on passing of specific exams like intermediate of CS course.
Recently, there has been an exponential growth in the number of students enrolling for Chartered Accountancy in India. There are various reasons for the same and are factors you should know before deciding to embark on this journey: The course curriculum is designed in such a way that it gives the students vast and deep-rooted knowledge about a variety of subjects ranging from accountancy, audit, tax, legal laws and financial management. In addition to the exposure in various subjects, Chartered Accountancy is never industry specific and hence, it gives you the freedom to choose which industry you want to work in. It also gives a lot of practical exposure to each student by the end of 3 years of articleship.
Chartered Accountants get a good compensation from their industries which fulfills their return on investment; amazing figures are always an embedded factor. The sense of trust, reputation and integrity associated with the term Chartered Accountant automatically pulls big shots and corporates towards them.
Your interest towards the subjects is the first deciding criterion. Apart from the amazing facts and figures associated with the course as mentioned above, it demands patience, hard-work, confidence and logical reasoning. The profession is worth taking once you introspect and align your interests with that of the course. At the end of the day, it is your dedication, passion and interests which will act as the most relevant deciding factor.