How this go-getter Mom began her CA journey at the age of 37 to fulfill her childhood dream

• Meet Sharada Narayanan, the perfect example of a Go-getter Mom who started her CA journey at the age of 37.
• Ever since she was a child she dreamed of becoming a CA and after so many years of traveling with her husband due to his transfers to different cities, she finally registered for CPT in 2009.
• It was certainly very challenging for her to put in almost 10 hours a day in preparation for IPCC while managing the house and work altogether but she managed all of this like a boss and even cleared Company Secretary (CS) course on the first attempt as well.
• Unfortunately after clearing the IPCC exam on the 1^st attempt she had to put off her preparations for CA Final exam from 2014-2016 to help her elder son prepare for his MBBS.
• She finally received an opportunity for resuming her CA Final preparation as she had to undergo a knee operation. Since it required full bed rest she concentrated her full attention on only the CA Final exam.

Pursuing CA at the age of 37 to enhance my resume

I completed ICWA in 1996 after my graduation. Post that I started working with an MNC. I continued working even after my marriage. From 2001, I kept traveling with my husband as and when he got transferred to different cities.

Life was wonderful, colorful, and interesting, experiencing different cities, and meeting new people however the constant transfers made working difficult for me.

With every transfer, I had to change my job as well. Hence I stopped working when we relocated to Delhi in 2009. It was then that my husband encouraged me to pursue CA.

As a child I always wanted to be a Chartered Accountant (CA), it was my childhood dream! I thought finally I will fulfill my dream and enhance my resume. These transfers proved to be a blessing in my life!

I was 37 years old when I enrolled in the CA course. Some people have the Eiffel Tower on their bucket list, for me, it is being a Chartered Accountant (CA) by 2018.

In 2009 I registered for CPT (1st level CA Exam) and cleared it in one go! I continued to the next level of my CA studies – IPCC. I worked really hard for it. Almost putting in 9-10 hours of daily studying.

Clearing IPCC

I cleared IPCC on the first attempt as well. It gave me such a boost and enhanced my self-confidence greatly. As I was halfway through CA I enrolled for my articleship while managing the house, work, and studies altogether.

It was at this time that I enrolled for the Company Secretary (CS) course as well. Surprisingly, I cleared CS – all the levels in my 1st attempt!

Undergoing a knee operation and preparing for CA Final

I have two sons. There were days when we all studied together. It’s a wonderful experience studying with your kids! My elder kept encouraging me by saying – “Mamma, there is a CA post vacant somewhere in some company for you, just keep going.”

Although from 2014-2016 I decided to set aside my CA preparations as I was busy with my elder son’s preparation for his MBBS. He was in 11/12th and his career was more important to me. I wanted to be there for him! I supported him throughout, and he got an MBBS seat in a deemed university in 2016. His dream was fulfilled. It made the CA wait all so worth it for me.

As I again started thinking of giving my CA Final exams in Jan’17 I had to undergo a knee operation. I was told to take complete bed rest. I started dancing in my head on hearing this since complete bed rest meant I could study for my CA final exams. Another blessing in disguise!

I took this as an opportunity and started studying for CA Final. After setting up my kid’s career, now I gave my CA Final 1st attempt in May 2017, though I am somewhat doubtful to clear this attempt however I am positive about things.

Now only I have boarded the CA Final train, it might take some time but the destination will surely come. I am all set to work really hard and my family is waiting eagerly for me to be a CA.

Plans after becoming a Chartered accountant

My Mantra is PASSION.

Juggling studies and family can be tough, but when you’re passionate about something, go for it. We are never too old to start something new. We should never blame the Institute. They are the ones who are filtering and bringing out CAs who are the base for running companies.

The only difficulty I have faced in the CA journey is memorizing section numbers. It is just the ‘age factor ‘ I guess.

Once I am a CA I will go back to the corporate world, will get some experience, and then plan to start something on my own. I don’t have any sort of ego. I will happily accept any suitable post with my resume – a respectable one for a triple qualifier!

Advice to other aspiring CAs

My hard work and getting back to my studies have given my kids a solid example of someone setting a goal and meeting it. People can find every reason in the world why they can’t accomplish something – But I want my kids to see that if they roll up their sleeves and work really hard for something they can achieve anything.

Also, I always tell people “marry the right person”. “I am blessed to have married one. He has mentored, encouraged, supported, and guided me throughout this journey,” she concluded.