Are you in your 12th and confused regarding which career path should you choose or should you select Chartered Accountant as your career path or go for medical or engineering.
I know it can be very confusing to make the decision because I have been there too in my life as well, it can be a problem especially
If you lack proper career guidance and guidance but if you have any thoughts regarding choosing a chartered accountant career then I want you to read the article throughout the end.
So in this article let’s take a look at what CA is all about and some advantages and disadvantages to understand whether it is a good career option and worth it or not in 2021 and beyond.
So let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
Pros and cons of CA
Pros of CA
1. High paying job
One of the most important reasons why the majority of the students in the commerce background go for the Chartered accountant career option is that it is a high paying job.
As a matter of fact according to the Bureau of labour statistics the average salary of a chartered accountant is 74000 dollars annually which gets converted into $35 Per hour.
At the same time the average salary of a chartered accountant in India is anywhere between 6 to 7 lakh rupees per annum and obviously your salary will also increase with more experience.
Apart from that you can get many other benefits like health insurance, paid leaves, etc.
2. Stable and growing job
Another big reason why you should choose chartered accountancy is that it is a stable and a growing job and career option.
The whole world runs on money and every business needs someone to manage their finances, help in filing taxes and do audits because of that reason chartered accountant as a profession and career will not go anywhere anytime soon.
According to Times of India, there are 2.8 lakh chartered accountants out of Which only 1.25 are working which is around 44% and if you take a look at the other way around there are approximately 7 crore taxpayers in our country and we all know that India is the third largest country in terms of startups after America and China so there are new businesses getting set up every year and this clearly shows that there is a increasing demand of accountants today.
3. No reservations in ICAI exam
ICAI Exam (CA Examination) is an exam conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India,
which is the national professional, accounting body of India to issue a certification about who is eligible to be a professional auditor in India.
This is the final exam which you need to write & pass if you want to become a chartered accountant in India but thankfully in this exam
there are no caste reservations which means that you can only clear this exam based on your merit score and your talent and
skill not based upon which caste you belong to which means that there is no inequality and difference between different caste people.
This feature is lacking in other popular exams like UPSC, JEE, SSC CGL, these exams are conducted by the government but ICAI is not a government organisation.
4. Start earning money early
Another big advantage of becoming a chartered accountant is that you can start earning money as a CA in the early 20s period only.
As a matter of fact, during your articleship training under a CA which will last for 3 years long you can get some stipend money every month.
Apart from earning money from your articleship training for 3 years the main benefit is that you are no longer a fresher with no experience because you have training of three years under a chartered accountant which means that
You have 3 years of experience of working as a chartered accountant which can give you many high paying jobs from the very start of your journey. At the same time you also have the required experience to join many national and international companies.
5. Opportunity to start own business
Another big advantage of Chartered Accountancy as a career option is that you can get a chance to start your own business and become an entrepreneur and you can make more money and become your own boss.
You can either start a coaching firm or consultancy business or you can also become a freelancer online and start your own accountancy business which manages accounts of other businesses.
If we compare this with other career options like being a pilot or being a doctor it is quite hard to start your own business for example
if you are a pilot it can be hard for you to start your own airline business or if you are a doctor it can also be quite
hard for you to start your own hospital but it is not that hard to start your own accountancy firm if you are an chartered accountant.
6. Wide career & respectful job
Another big advantage of chartered accountants as a career option is that you can have a wide career which means that
you can work in almost any industry you can think of whether it is a private organisation and business or a government funded company or any bank or any non profit organisation or educational institution.
You can get a chance to work as an accountant in many industries and sectors as a chartered accountant,
You can obviously meet new people and also get a chance to move up and get yourself in the important positions of many companies and be a part of the leadership group and take important decisions or give your advice to the ceo’s.
Apart from that you can also get many jobs & work in many fields of business and finance, including auditing, taxation, financial, and general management, Forensic Auditing, etc.
Because of the high flexibility of job you can easily switch between different industries and also career options after you become a chartered accountant.
At the same time being a chartered accountant is one of the most respected jobs you can find in modern society.
7. Work from anywhere
Another big advantage of chartered accountants as a career option is that you can work from anywhere in the world because the majority of the work of accounts is digitalised.
Because of this reason you do not need to move to the office all the time in order to work which means that you can save that time and spend it with your family and friends.
8. Chance to Work abroad
Another big advantage of being a chartered accountant is that you can get a chance to work abroad in foreign countries including UAE, UK, USA, Canada, Australia & new Zealand as well because chartered accountancy is a global profession.
There are so many multinational companies which want to hire chartered accountants from India like Deloitte, KPMG, BDO International, etc.
For more information you can click here to learn which are the countries where you can work as a chartered accountant from India.
9. Inexpensive course
Another big advantage of Chartered Accountant is that compared to other careers if you want to become a chartered accountant it can happen with less investment and you can get good ROI.
You can become a chartered accountant in less than 50000 rupees and also start earning money And if you select private college and coaching services then the expenses can reach up to a few lakh rupees.
These are all the advantages of chartered accountant as a career option in countries like India.
Cons of CA
1. Work load & stress
This is a common disadvantage you can find in any other career option like engineering and doctor along with chartered accountant.
If you become a chartered accountant in future then you will have to work almost full-time.
In normal cases a chartered accountant can work anywhere between 40 to 50 hours per week but the working schedule can be different and you might have to work more hours if you have to complete the task and assignment before the deadline.
The work environment can also play a role in an accountant’s work schedule.
And now as a chartered accountant you can have extra stress on yourself because
you are the one who is going to manage and look after the finances of any company and business and every business at the end of the day runs on the finances and money.
Because of such a huge responsibility you can have no room for errors and mistakes.
2. Long, difficult course & exams
This is by far one of the main disadvantage when it comes to trying to become a chartered accountant.
If you want to become a chartered accountant in India after your twelfth then you should study for 5 years.
At the same time you will have to write and clear many examinations which has a tough competition along with that the syllabus is also considered to be one of the toughest.
3. High competition
This is another big disadvantage of trying to become a chartered accountant in countries like India.
Thousands of students write for the final exam of CA in India but only a few percentage of students get selected and become part of Indian institute of chartered accountant ICAI and start working as a CA.
As a matter of fact, CA pass percentage in final exam of 2021 data in India is,
A total of 23981 candidates appeared in both the groups, but 2870 have cleared the exam, as you can see the pass percentage is almost 9%.
Now I agree that almost every other career path has some level of competition so it should not be a big issue.
These are all the advantages and disadvantages of chartered accountant as a career option.
Is CA a good career & worth it?
After learning all the benefits and drawbacks of chartered accountant, I believe that it is a good career option if you have interest and passion towards it.
The main reason why majority of the chartered accountants will not get any job or fail to become chartered accountant is because
they do not have the passion and interest towards it or they donot have the right skills, attitude and hard working nature or they choose to become chartered accountant due to peer and parental pressure without having any proper planning.
I believe not everyone can and not everyone should choose to become a chartered accountant just because it has high paying salary job and high demand.
But if you really have the interest at the same time have necessary skills like being hardworking and planning then chartered accountant can be a good career option for you because
It is both affordable and also gives you a good return of investment at the same time it can also help you succeed higher in your career as well.
You should choose chartered accountant as a career option only if you have interest in accounting, commerce, finance, mathematics and Statistics related subjects because
It is not a piece of cake to become a chartered accountant, rather it requires a lot of dedication and commitment because of immense competition and long periods of studies.
With that said let’s end the article.
Conclusion
These are all the things you need to know about chartered accountant as a career option.
Do let me know your thoughts about Chartered Accountant career option in the comment section below and also share the blog if you have found it helpful and
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