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  • Neha Khandelia ! C.A. by Profession - Artist by Passion
    Neha Khandelia Class of 2012-13 Commerce

    Professional Achievements : Chartered Accountant

    • What does it take to be a CA?

      Amit Tibrewal  01/23/2011

      The importance of Chartered Accountants (CAs) has grown enormously in the recent past. Every business organisation, whether small or big requires the services of a CA. Today's CA is capable of handling every financial matter of any kind of business. They hold a powerful position in the positive growth of a business by providing advice regarding the effective handling of the money-matters of organisation within the compliance of the law.
      CAs are no longer merely 'number crunchers' or 'people who handle taxation matters'. Though they are aces in matters of auditing and taxation, they also manage the financial matters of both public as well as private sector organisations. Some CAs also hold powerful positions in the companies as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
      Chartered Accountancy is the most prestigious qualification in the world. If you have the CA degree of India, you have a promising career not only in India, but also abroad.
      Joining the course is a surprisingly easy task. But, passing out as a qualified Chartered Accountant is a big deal! Actually, it is justified considering the fact that a person who becomes eligible to hold such a powerful position in the economy must be thoroughly trained for it.
      So, what does it take to be a CA? Well, to put it in a few words -- dedication, perseverance, an aptitude for numbers, analytical thinking, and a lot of hard work.
      The CA course is a very difficult one. It takes a lot of hard work coupled with dedication and patience to emerge as a successful candidate. You must be mentally prepared for it before you join the course. Otherwise you shall be shocked at the situations faced by you. One tough situation will be to answer the question - "How long will it take for you to become a CA?" Sounds funny? Well, I'll ask you when you reach the final examinations!
      Anyways, that's enough of frightening you! And if you are still reading this, then you definitely have what it takes to be a CA. A brief description of the entire process shall make things quite clear.
      The Chartered Accountancy course is conducted by the ICAI, which has its headquarters in New Delhi. It regulates the profession of the CAs, and also conducts the examinations, grants certificates and exercises a strict disciplinary control over its members. It has its branches all over India.
      The CA course is a good blend of practical and theoretical training. A CA student has to undertake practical training under a practising CA along with a theoretical course via written examinations. The course materials are provided to the student by the institute at regular intervals. Of course, a lot of other reference reading has to be sought; details of which are also provided by the Institute.
      The details of practical training can be obtained from the ICAI. The service conditions like hours of work, amount of leave, etc are all governed by instructions issued by the ICAI. The candidate can also pursue another course of study (along with CA) with prior permission of the Institute.
      The course contents, details of the syllabus, etc are provided by the ICAI. Personally speaking, the candidate must have an excellent aptitude for numbers. At the Final CA level, there is a major emphasis on the analytical skills of the candidate. Hence, the ability to think logically and methodically helps tremendously. Also, CA is basically a correspondence course. Hence, you must be disciplined enough to stick to a regular schedule of self-study. There are several coaching centres in some cities (some of which are approved by the institute) that you can join for oral coaching.
      So, now you know what it takes to become a CA. if you believe that you have the qualities to pursue the CA course, then just go ahead and join it.

      All the best to you!