Hindi Medium Average Guy To A Chartered Accountant At The Age Of 19

• I am Piyush Dadhich. I belong to a very small town, was below average in my studies, and knew very little English.
• However, I demonstrated that if you have a strong desire to do something, your grit can transform into eagle wings to help you overcome all obstacles.
• Today, I am a qualified chartered accountant from the ICAI (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and a company secretary. I am also a qualified FRM (US) and a CFA (US). A visiting faculty member for ACCA at Christ University, Bangalore, he loves encouraging students through his Facebook page, CA Tips.
• Here is my story to inspire you:

Humble Beginnings: From a Small Village to a Big City

I was born and raised in the small town of Tal Chhapar in the Churu District of Rajasthan (India).I had studied until Class 12 in a very small Hindi-medium school, scoring very average marks. Unlike other guys, I loved to ride my bicycle and was never serious about my studies.

I was always busy with my bicycle, racing around the same small town. My mom, a single mother and the only breadwinner in our family, had pampered me a lot (as I was the youngest child!). So, in short, I was a brat.

As I started getting older, she got very worried about my career. It was then that my older sister and mother decided to send me to Calcutta to complete my graduation. My maternal uncle was in Calcutta, so I would be staying with him and his family.

My sister, Abhilasha, sacrificed her own studies to support my mother at home.

I somehow managed to live away from my mother and sister and settled in well with my maternal uncle and his family. I am so grateful to all of them who supported me so well when in Calcutta. Things were still not easy for an average guy.

No college was ready to give me admission due to my average marks in high school (10+2). Then, a very small college granted me admission to B. Com. (Honors) at the request of my maternal uncle. Students used to tease me and insult me as I came from a Hindi background and had no fluency in the English language. This did not discourage me at all but proved to be an inspiration.

It was then that I realized I had to work on my English speaking skills, as it was a necessity. That same year, I worked hard and earned first place in my college. Everyone around me was surprised, or they could say they were shocked.

After all, it’s unusual for a non-English speaking boy from a small village to place first in college. After getting good marks in 1^st year B.com, I applied to another college that was better than this one.

I luckily went through with my graduation from there. I again worked hard and ended up being the top student in the college for the B. Com. (Hons.) batch of 2011.

Deciding to become a Chartered Accountant

While studying for my first year of B. Com (FYB.Com), I had the impression that this was not the end, but rather the beginning. I took no time to make the decision to start the chartered accounting and company secretary courses.

I was discouraged by many relatives who kept telling me how tough chartered accounting is and how CA or CS is not meant for someone like me. But the self-motivated me blazed through all four levels of Chartered Accountancy in one go and was named the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India’s Youngest Chartered Accountant of the Eastern Region at the age of 19.

In fact, I missed my CA Final All-India rank by only 3 marks.

At the same time I completed my Chartered Accountancy exam, I also completed my Company Secretary exam.

So now, at the age of 19, I am a qualified chartered accountant and company secretary. After all, positive action combined with positive thinking always results in success.

Taking a Leap in the Corporate World

After qualifying as a qualified chartered accountant and company secretary, I got a good offer with ICICI Bank and started my career with a bang.

I always felt that I still had something more to do. I wanted to do something that was not mainstream. So, while serving at ICICI Bank as a credit manager, I started studying for the CFA (US) and FRM (US).

It was very difficult to complete all my office work and leave for classes by 5 p.m. However, with the support of my peers and seniors, I managed to do so.

In fact, while at ICICI Bank, I was also awarded the Best Credit Manager in the East Region of ICICI Bank. I managed my job, classes, and studies for these courses and cleared them all in one shot, one after another, without any stoppage and with an above-average percentile in the first attempt.

This was my greatest achievement in my entire life.

In Conclusion…

• There is no secret to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from hardships.
• This made me realize that I cannot stop myself with what I have started.
• “Nothing is difficult if you have a firm determination toward it,” I believe.
• I hardly used to sleep and used to study day and night with the same interest—consistency is all that is required.
• I used to and still encourage students through my Facebook page, CA Tips (which has around 50k likes).
• According to me, we should not wait for the right time to come; we should make the time right for us.
• If anyone tells you, “You are not capable,” just prove to them that all is possible.
• You can do it if I can.