From passing CA after multiple attempts to working in Dubai

• Hi, I am Farzan Husain, a qualified chartered accountant from India.
• I took almost four attempts to pass my CA final exams. It was depressing back then, but that did not stop me.
• Despite passing CA on the fourth attempt, I received a good profile in Dubai.
• Here is my story of how I cleared CA after multiple attempts and am still doing well for myself.

Pursuing CA after getting influenced by my friend

On the day the 12th-grade results were announced, I casually asked a close friend of mine, “So, what’s your plan after this?” He replied, “Chartered Accountancy.”

I was inquisitive and enquired about all the relevant details, and within a few days, applied for the CA course at the ICAI (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India).

To put it simply, I chose CA because I saw a close friend pursuing it; I thought to myself, ‘If he can do it, why can’t I?’

However, some of my relatives discouraged me, sharing stories of their friends who had pursued CA but never succeeded due to the very low passing percentages.

But that wasn’t going to stop me.

And here began my amazing journey.

In hindsight, it was quite a spur-of-the-moment decision. However, I believe career guidance is crucial for a student’s success. Unfortunately, I still feel that there is a lack of sufficient support in this area.

Timeline of my six-year CA journey

My CA journey has been priceless. It taught me so much about myself.

To help you understand, CA has three levels of exams: CPT (Foundation), IPCC (Intermediate), and CA Final. It also includes 2.5–3 years of articles training.

Failing CPT on the first attempt

• I had failed the first-level CA exam, which was considered the easiest level. So the failure was even more impactful.
• It came as a big shock to me since I had never failed an exam before.
• I did not give up. I worked hard and started preparing to study again for my CPT exams.
• I cleared the CA CPT exams on my second attempt with really good marks. This made me very confident, and I started to believe in myself again.

Passing PE-2 on the first attempt

• I kept the momentum going; I studied hard and cleared the CA IPCC exams on my first attempt. IPCC is the 2nd level CA exam, consisting of 2 groups: Group 1 and Group 2).
• After IPCC, I had a three-year internship at a chartered accounting firm to begin. This is known as an articleship.
• After completing 3 years of articles, I was eligible to write the last level of the exam, the CA Final exam.
• Once I cleared the CA Final, I would be a qualified chartered accountant from the ICAI.

Starting my 3-year articles at a CA firm

• Fortunately, I was able to begin articles after finishing B.Com, so I didn’t have any college-related responsibilities.
• Articleship is a great journey since we are very young and this training molds us.
• I would highly recommend working on your soft skills early on.
• As CA students, our studies will definitely make our technical skills good, but to get ahead in corporate life, soft skills will go a long way.
• To understand more about articles, read here.

Taking on Challenges in the CA Final

• Following my articles, I became very complacent and casual with my studies, and it showed: I passed my CA Final on my fourth attempt.
• Failing exams is a very negative phase, and it takes a lot of energy to remain positive and motivated.
• Support from family and friends is key to getting through the rough patch.
• Identifying weak areas and strengthening the strong areas will be good.
• Solve and comprehend past ICAI question papers; time yourself as if you were taking the exams.
• Surround yourself with strongly motivated CA students and eliminate distractions while studying.

Did I join any coaching classes?

• Yes! I joined the most famous class back then. I took coaching for all three CA exams. It was a huge help in my studies. Their notes were very well explained.
• Coaching vs. self-study? I would say that it depends on the student. Coaching classes definitely shorten the learning curve and quickly get you up to speed. Self-study will surely get you there, but it may take some more time and a lot of effort.

Starting my career as a CA Fresher… then moving to Dubai

After qualifying as a chartered accountant, I started my career at Deutsche Bank as an analyst. I worked there for almost 3 years and later moved to Dubai.

Why Dubai?

Since I am from Mumbai (India), Dubai is only 2.5 hours away by flight.

It is convenient and easy to travel to Mumbai multiple times in the year to meet parents and friends! At the same time, I am able to get international exposure.

Also, the good part is that you will always end up knowing someone in the UAE, and they will be happy to guide you during the settling process.

In Dubai, I started off as a sales analyst and later moved to the corporate banking segment.

My role involved making “business proposals for corporations,” intending to obtain finance, and a huge component involved credit analysis. 

How to find a job in the UAE as a young accountant?

There is no definitive way to say how to land a job in the UAE. Here are a few tips:

• The UAE job market tends to rely more on references than a simple online job application process.
• If you intend to move to the UAE, try to speak to as many people as you can, both in India and in the UAE. People are generally helpful when recommending CVs.
• Also, try to do some research on the expected salary levels for the job role and seniority.
• A lower salary in the UAE can be very frustrating because everything, like rentals, transportation, and food, gets expensive.
• One suggestion: If you are getting interviewed for a specialist role, ask the interviewer what the future scope of the job role is, i.e., how will it help you grow in your career?
• People, in general, move to the UAE primarily for the money, but as a CA, you also keep in mind future career options and career growth possibilities.

UAE after VAT?

• Any new tax regime will bring new opportunities for CAs. Work for tax firms has definitely increased in the UAE.
• Keep in mind that the VAT is a very simple tax structure, unlike India’s complicated tax regime, so it’s not necessary that only CAs can do work related to the VAT; even a B.Com. graduate or an equivalent can do the same job. So they, too, can consider working in the UAE with a VAT profile.
• Fintech firms are also big beneficiaries of the new VAT regime.
• Having said that, VAT is still very new to the UAE, so be on the lookout for opportunities related to it.

Think beyond typical roles for CA

• Audit and tax are good career choices too, but there are a lot of other specialist roles like mine.
• As a chartered accountant, one becomes flexible by qualification and can branch out into various complex job roles because these days corporations have become quite complex with their organizational structure and their product offerings.

Seek guidance before picking a qualification

• Before taking up CA or any professional qualification, I would suggest students get career guidance from the right and relevant people.
• Do CA or any other qualification because it will help you achieve your career goals in the future, not because everyone else is doing it.
• A company secretary with a law degree is powerful, especially with the current climate regulations being imposed by governments all over the world.
• CA tends to become the default career choice in the Commerce stream, mainly because a student ends up specializing in many aspects of commercial studies.
• MBA Finance is also a good alternative to CA for those who do not intend to work in taxation or statutory auditing areas; however, with the plethora of MBA institutes, it becomes all the more important to pursue MBA from reputed institutes that offer placement options.
• Having said that, I would like to reiterate that guidance is key, so try to speak to or reach out to as many relevant people as possible when it comes to making a career choice; don’t just follow one person’s advice.

Network with other CAs to understand the opportunities

• Speak to other qualified and working CAs. Try to understand what kinds of job roles people hold.
• This will help you understand what kind of career path to take in order to grow in the future.

Work on your soft skills

• Most importantly, work on soft skills. I cannot emphasize this enough.
• They’re harder to quantify than hard skills like programming, writing, or accounting, and they’re also more difficult to learn formally.
• Many students think that getting a job is all about qualifications and technical skills. Those don’t hurt (indeed, they’re essential), but things like how well you work in a team, how well you communicate, and how well you understand other people’s emotions are just as important.
• So work greatly on your soft skills.