So yes ! If you would remember my first ever post, I would have mentioned that I am pursuing the CA course. I actually would have at least mentioned "CA" in every one of my posts because for the last four years that has been the biggest, most burdensome part of my life. I guess you know where I am headed- YES ITS OVER ! I have cleared my Final Examinations
Part 5- The Exam itself
This is the part you have been preparing for the whole time, right from part 1. You have to battle the urge to fall asleep, the trepidation that can cause jitters, the fear etc etc. You write the three hour long exam, some may go well and some may not. Where the exams go well, you have to get over the excitement really quick to start studying for the next one, and in case they go badly, you have to get over the grief to star studying for the next one (as I said, 8 subjects and one day's gap between each exam)
Part 6 - End of exam to date of result
During this phase, (lasts approximately 2 months), you can never be at peace. Its not like you can't sleep, but you just know that all you're thinking about is the result. This period is quintessentially the one time when you keep thinking of God. Your prayers are consistent, you go to every temple possible, you sing praises of the Almighty and chant shlokas.
Part 7- The Result
The D Day. The day when you come to know if all those prayers and hard work are going to bear fruit. The day when you can either say Phew ! or yell CRAP!
For me luckily, I got to read the words "PASS". From then on, I became a Chartered Accountant. But one thing, the society has a bad habit of judging people who don't clear in their maiden attempt. One thing, the result has nothing to do with one's intelligence or smartness. Just because one clears the exams, they don't become Albert Einstein and definitely just because one doesn't clear, they don't become any less capable. It depends a lot on luck and also on your fate.
Part 8- The Celebration
Here you rejoice the accomplishment of getting through the exams. You feel like you're the hero and finally your time has arrived.
You might as well do the swag walk....
During this process you start comparing your marks with the others that wrote along with you. Not a very fun exercise apparently. You find out that people around you have scored a lot better and then there may be All India Rankers as well. The feeling stings more when the ones you thought you'd beat, beat you big time.
And when you realise you're not that big a deal also
But all said and done, you have finished the course and you feel blessed that you actually made it. It does feel good to be done with this course finally. All your young adulthood is spent away in studies and apprehension, so when you finally get to the other side where you can wave goodbye to your books, it does feel good. And seeing the pride gleaming in your parents eyes will make you feel satiated.
So there goes, the eight parts of becoming a CA. How many of you want to join this course ?
I would now want to take you through the whole experience from start to end so that those who are still undecided about their career paths can be egged on into taking up CA ;)
Part 1- CPT
So after finishing Standard 12 in school and getting really high marks (though that was the last time I got high marks) , you feel like CPT or any other course in the world is going to be a cakewalk. Because at that time you feel 12th Std CBSE Exams are the toughest to get through and you actually topped , so you must be the biggest genius ever ! You will feel like this:
But yes, CPT is quite easy , especially when you don't know about the hideousness that awaits you in Part 2
Part 2- IPCC
I did IPCC along with my BCom, and since I was still in the hangover of the success in my previous examinations, I thought I could ace this one too. And I didn't study much. But then I stumbled hard when the results came as I found out that I hadn't cleared. I was taken aback! But But I topped in school....I cried and cried and whined and cribbed and lamented out loud and basically all words that mean "complained". I started relating to Severus Snape when he said
When the truth was that I actually didn't study too well. But then God was kind enough and also was fed up with my constant complaints every night to him, so I cleared when I sent my papers for re-valuation. So I did pass but only after I got a taste of what it would be like to not pass. One good thing that happened to me during this process, I fell hard out of my hangover! I was warned by the stars about how nefarious this course can be.
Part 3 - Articleship
The deadliest penultimate to your CA experience, The three year long articleship course where you have to work under a professional auditor and get trained before you appear for your CA exams. Its actually not as blithe as it sounds.
First is the hunt for a good firm to hire you. I got to do my internship first in a small firm and then a huge company. When the huge Company offer came my way, I felt elated! A big brand, much more stipend which you can save up (or spend), etc etc. You feel like
I was super excited to join a big Company and felt this is what I always wanted to do. I felt like my life's purpose was attained and that I was satiated with what I got.
But little did I know that all this came with a price. There are so may people whose demands you have to cater to, so much pressure and so many crests and troughs during those three years. I didn't know my path would be fraught with such experiences, but to be honest there is a great learning process associated with all this.
(In case my bosses are reading this, I really love my office)
Part 4- Exam leave
This is a four month period of absolute dour. You will start losing the will to live seeing all the big huge books (8 subjects and around 50 books to study) . This whole long haul stint essentially is characterised by self doubt, fear, diffidence, irritation, anger, exasperation and so on whilst attempting to carry out the rigmarole of studying 50 books. You yell at your mom a lot! And the next second, when you realise how loving and supportive she has been to you, you feel guilty, cry and apologise.
Part 5- The Exam itself
This is the part you have been preparing for the whole time, right from part 1. You have to battle the urge to fall asleep, the trepidation that can cause jitters, the fear etc etc. You write the three hour long exam, some may go well and some may not. Where the exams go well, you have to get over the excitement really quick to start studying for the next one, and in case they go badly, you have to get over the grief to star studying for the next one (as I said, 8 subjects and one day's gap between each exam)
Part 6 - End of exam to date of result
During this phase, (lasts approximately 2 months), you can never be at peace. Its not like you can't sleep, but you just know that all you're thinking about is the result. This period is quintessentially the one time when you keep thinking of God. Your prayers are consistent, you go to every temple possible, you sing praises of the Almighty and chant shlokas.
Part 7- The Result
The D Day. The day when you come to know if all those prayers and hard work are going to bear fruit. The day when you can either say Phew ! or yell CRAP!
For me luckily, I got to read the words "PASS". From then on, I became a Chartered Accountant. But one thing, the society has a bad habit of judging people who don't clear in their maiden attempt. One thing, the result has nothing to do with one's intelligence or smartness. Just because one clears the exams, they don't become Albert Einstein and definitely just because one doesn't clear, they don't become any less capable. It depends a lot on luck and also on your fate.
Part 8- The Celebration
Here you rejoice the accomplishment of getting through the exams. You feel like you're the hero and finally your time has arrived.
You might as well do the swag walk....
During this process you start comparing your marks with the others that wrote along with you. Not a very fun exercise apparently. You find out that people around you have scored a lot better and then there may be All India Rankers as well. The feeling stings more when the ones you thought you'd beat, beat you big time.
And when you realise you're not that big a deal also
But all said and done, you have finished the course and you feel blessed that you actually made it. It does feel good to be done with this course finally. All your young adulthood is spent away in studies and apprehension, so when you finally get to the other side where you can wave goodbye to your books, it does feel good. And seeing the pride gleaming in your parents eyes will make you feel satiated.
So there goes, the eight parts of becoming a CA. How many of you want to join this course ?
