We see successful chartered accountants as superhuman, but the truth is they’re normal people like you and me.
Do you want to become a successful accountant in the future? Or are you looking for some inspiring CA success stories to supercharge your efforts?
We’ve compiled 19 inspiring and motivational CA success stories for you. Let’s dive right in.
1. Dared to Pursue Chartered Accountancy at the Age of 48
To start from the beginning, I was a typical city girl (from Mumbai), always on the go. I completed my graduation in commerce and also pursued law.
My dad got me married at the very young age of 22. After marriage, I settled in the milk city of India, Anand, Gujarat.
I was given the opportunity to begin my teaching career here. I started as an arts and crafts teacher and soon discovered a passion for teaching, especially mathematics.
When the Commerce stream was started in our school, I got an opportunity to teach Accountancy. Meanwhile, for professional advancement, I completed my B.Ed. and M. Com.
I was quite satisfied with my job, which had always provided opportunities for growth. In fact, I had already completed 23 years as a teacher and saw myself retiring from the same. But destiny had other plans for me.
My father, who himself is a company secretary, would often say that he had done me a “disfavor” by not allowing me to pursue chartered accounting. Two of my brothers are chartered accountants, and one is an MBA.
Though I was very happy with my present life, I wanted to do something about it. I wondered if I could present him with my CA degree on his 75th birthday.
At the age of 48, I enrolled for CA and started my CA journey. You can read my entire journey here: How I Dared to Pursue CA at the Age of 48.
2. From a Chaiwala’s Son to a Chartered Accountant
Dad had to mortgage mom’s only jewelry so that my brother Govinda and I could study in one of the best schools.
My dad runs a “tea shop,” which we were and are very proud of, and we have always helped him in the shop.
At times, we were even criticized by other classmates because we came from a totally different background. It used to be tough to hear their disheartening and demoralizing comments.
In spite of our backgrounds, I am a chartered accountant today. The one thing required is belief in oneself, along with patience.
How This Guy Broke All the Barriers to Become a Chartered Accountant
3. How Qualifying as a CA Transformed My Life
If I can become a Chartered Accountant anyone CAN. I grew up in a very poor family background, with my mother struggling to make ends meet.
My father was an alcoholic, and he expired when I was 8 years old due to excessive drinking. Thus, all the burden was on my mother, with very little support from my extended family. But my mother fought with each and every challenge that came our way.
She worked in people’s homes to feed and educate us; she was adamant that we (my brother and I) continue with our studies, which we did.
I knew studying was one way to get me out of the hand-to-mouth life we were living. Whatever I am today is because of my mother. She knew the importance and power of education.
After graduating, I was confused as to what I should do. That is when I decided to study further and become a chartered accountant.
Earlier, my relatives looked down upon us; however, after I became a chartered accountant, things began to change.
Next came the second-biggest challenge: getting a job. I was rejected by so many companies because of my poor English.
All this has been possible because I studied and did my CA. CA took me out of poverty, from a 1RK to a 2BHK. And I can proudly say my mom is a housewife now, no longer working in people’s homes.
A man from a low-income family decided to become a CA, and he succeeded. How
4. Passing the CA Exams After the Loss of My Father
My father died during the final year of my articles. I was shattered. We lost our home, business, and literally everything. Words can’t express the difficulties we faced.
My first attempt at the CA Final was due in May 2015, which I failed miserably. Our financial condition was deteriorating fast, but I was still hopeful of passing my CA exams and getting us back to normal. However, once again I tried and failed. In my fifth attempt, I finally passed my CA final exams in May 2017.
For all those who feel like giving up, I have one thing to say: Do not lose hope and keep on working hard. You can read about my journey in How I Overcame Personal Loss and Qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
5. An arts teacher becomes a chartered accountant at the age of 43.
It all started with my daughter wanting to be a chartered accountant like her dad. She randomly mentioned, “Maa, why don’t you start studying CA with me?” This idea stayed with me, and I quickly decided that yes, I wanted to be a CA as well.
So I went ahead and registered for the CA Exams, and thus began my 7-year CA career.
I was an Art & Crafts teacher for 6 years. It was difficult to continue working as a teacher without a B.Ed., so I decided to get one. You won’t believe I failed my B.Ed. exams twice.
Since I was no longer working, I had a lot of time on my hands, and the idea of doing CA meant using my time effectively. You can read my journey here: How I cleared my CA exams along with my daughter
6. Clearing CA in the First Attempt Despite Several Challenges
It had been one year since I started with my articles, and I was about to start my studies for CA-Final. However, life had something else in store for me.
I lost my mom in an accident. I was completely shattered, heartbroken, and isolated. It was the biggest sorrow of my life.
See the height of my misfortune; I was not even able to see her for the last time. I saw my father cry for the first time in his life. It was a loss I could never come out of; a part of my heart died with her.
Days passed, but still, I was not able to study at all. I was not finding the purpose to study further, but I had to pick myself up and do it for my father now! I managed to get back on track.
It’s so true—you don’t need motivation from outside to do anything; it comes from within, and when you are in such a situation, you are fully charged up to do something and prove yourself.
Clearing CA became my priority. My dad continued working hard to support my education, and my younger brother managed the household activities.
You can read my article, “How I Cleared the CA Final Exams in the First Attempt After Losing My Mom.”
7. Getting Blind in My Right Eye to Qualify as a Chartered Accountant
I am completely blind in my right eye. When I was 5 years old, a sharp object went into my right eye while playing with my friends.
I was too young to feel depressed about it then. However, as I grew older, I realized my family used to consider me “less-abled” and were always worried about my future. That’s when the loss of an eye hit me.
I decided to pursue a CA from ICAI. The first level was easy (CPT), and I cleared it on the first attempt. However, in the second-level exams (IPCC), I kept failing.
There were days when I wanted to give up, as I had a lot of pressure to work because my family needed me to contribute financially to the household. However, I kept reminding myself that failure is a delay, not a defeat, and kept pushing, though mentally I had decided if I failed one more time, I would give up.
Luckily, I cleared on my third attempt.
My tough phases made me understand how I had to win in my mind first before actually winning in reality.
I used this foundation to easily pass the CA Final exams.
I learned a big lesson here: we become what we repeatedly keep telling ourselves. Positive self-talk can create magic.
After becoming a CA, I worked in a steel plant, then in a bank, and recently I started my own CA practice.
You can read my article, “You’re Your Only Limit.” And this guy defied all odds.
8. A CA Who Fought With Tough Times and Personal Losses
It happened to me the same way it happens to most of us: I did commerce, I saw everyone do CA, and I went ahead to do the same.
I cleared my CPT exams (first-level CA exams) in the first attempt and my IPCC exams (second-level CA exams) in the second attempt. I only needed to pass one more level of the CA Final Exams to become an ICAI-certified CA.
However, I was still unsure whether I was passionate about CA or not.
Then came my internship, which completely changed my view of this course. The work I was doing developed a passion in me for this course and its practical aspects.
However, after working for 3 years in a CA firm, getting back to that “zone of a student” and preparing for the CA final exams was not an easy task.
Problems in my personal life, like losing my father to a sudden road accident, came as a shock to me just ahead of my CA final exams.
My desperation was heightened by the prospect of becoming the breadwinner for my family as soon as possible. This certainly did not help me prepare for my exams with a clear mind.
I used to over-exaggerate at times and panic at crunch times, which never helped.
You can read my journey: How I struggled with personal loss and qualified as a CA.
9. Overcoming Failure and the Demise of My Father
My father died suddenly of a heart attack just 7 months before my CA Final exams. That was such a tough phase for me. I realized that overnight I had to become the backbone of my family. If I break down, then my family will be shattered.
It was during this period that I started writing, as I was not able to share my feelings with anyone. Writing helped me channel my emotions correctly.
I somehow appeared for the exams but failed. See, if you have faced the death of your father at such a young age, there is nothing worse left to be faced! So this CA exam failure was easy to face. Then I failed the CA final exams three more times. I was a little upset but started my preparation again.
In November 2017, I retook my exams and passed them on the fourth try. I am a chartered accountant now. You can read about my journey here: From Breakdown to CA Success Story.
10. Disability Couldn’t Stop Him From Becoming a CA and Starting His Own Business
I was barely 18 when I lost my father. From then on, life changed. I became serious about my life and my responsibilities.
Since then, I’ve continued to excel academically while pursuing my dream of becoming a chartered accountant.
On July 11, 2006, a series of bomb blasts occurred in Mumbai’s local trains. That day I left work early, becoming a victim of the blasts.
I suffered a “debilitating spinal cord injury,” a term that was unknown to me and my family. I remember the day I was first termed “paraplegic.” It changed the way I lived forever.
I made a crucial decision to move on from being sorry for myself and take on what life had thrown at me.
With a single-minded focus, I continued pursuing CA and finally qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2008. However, after passing my CA, getting a job was tough. Companies rejected me only because I was paraplegic.
Five years ago, I started as an entrepreneur with my own firm, CA Chauhan & Co. You can read my journey here: Disability is just a state of mind.
11. How I Fought With the Fear of Failure
All my life, I wanted to be an interior designer. However, my mother wanted me to pursue commerce so that I would have a degree, which would help me get a basic job and the required financial support in the future. So, I let go of my dream of being an interior designer and decided to consider commerce.
I struggled to complete my CA. There were a series of events that showed up. the main one being the death of my younger brother. This made studying very difficult for me.
In all, it was a journey of 14 long years with lots of ups and downs, but I am like that gold that has been through it all and is still shining. Real gold fears no fire.
You can read about my journey in “How I Conquered My Own Fear and Qualified as a Chartered Accountant.”
12. From failing the CA Exams 11 times to becoming a professor
I was born into a highly educated Bengali joint family in the suburb of Kolkata (India). In a family like this, academic excellence was held in high regard.
Thus, right from the very beginning, as the junior-most male member of my generation, I was subjected to “intense comparison” against the backdrop of the brilliant academic performance of my uncle’s sons, who were much senior to me.
My CA journey was not smooth sailing; it was quite painful.
On a serious note, I can say that years of struggle and unending failures have taught me the below 4 principles:
- Failures happen for a reason. Failure can either change you or shape you.
- All are not lucky. But please keep in mind that you are more fortunate than many. If you have to struggle, please don’t run away. Despite the struggle, you may never succeed. But somehow it would emerge. The struggle may take you in a different direction altogether. Nothing in life goes in vain—failures in particular.
- Everything happens for a reason. Beyond your comprehension, extraordinary good can emerge from extreme bad.
- Hope is the biggest thing; never lose it.
He treated his unending failures as opportunities to learn something every time.
13. Qualified as a CA on a Wheelchair and Started an NGO
My struggle in life began when I was 6-months old—I couldn’t crawl like a normal child, could not hold my neck, or sit down on my own.
I have been severely disabled since birth from a rare genetic disorder called “Spinal Muscular Atrophy,” a progressive disorder causing severe muscular weakness.
My parents and family were my first and biggest motivators.
Being a special child, they took special care of all my needs during my challenging journey.
Due to my illness and weak physical condition, I couldn’t even hold a pencil up until the age of 12. Even a small jerk resulted in my neck dropping.
My first career choice was to become a doctor and serve society; however, “disability” prevented me from entering the science stream and becoming a doctor.
Another lucrative choice was Chartered Accountancy (CA), hence I opted for Commerce.
With patience and sheer perseverance, I dedicated myself fully to the accomplishment of my ultimate goal and, at last, became CA.
The inspiring CA journey demonstrated that all you need is a little patience and belief.
14. The Journey of a Single Mother Who Passed the CA Exams
When I think about my past, which happened almost a decade ago, tears stream down my cheeks. It has not been a smooth journey for me.
Due to family pressure, I got married in 2006 and was blessed with a daughter in 2007. My in-laws were unhappy as I gave birth to a girl. In fact, when I got married, I was harassed for dowry as well.
Due to all these issues, my marriage did not work out, and we separated in 2007 when my daughter was only 1 month old. It was then that I realized the only solution for raising my daughter and giving her a good life was to complete my CA studies and become a qualified chartered accountant.
My family was and is my source of strength and support. They kept motivating me and pushing me after every failure. It’s never been easy to study, raise a child, and listen to what society has to say.
Advice to all the women out there: Do not give up your dreams for the sake of society. If I were not a Californian, I might have had a difficult life depending on my parents. Read about her inspiring journey to becoming a chartered accountant despite all odds.
15. A Chartered Accountant Who Stands Tall Despite a Short Height
I STAND TALL despite my short height of 3 feet, 8 inches. I am suffering from dwarfism, and I have never been demotivated by the “different-ability” that I am suffering from.
I’ve had people judge, criticize, and laugh at me because I’m a dwarf since kindergarten. However, this has never stopped me from being the best version of myself.
While in college, I wanted to pursue a course where the world does not see me with sympathy, but as someone who has CROSSED ALL HURDLES, so I enrolled in a Chartered Accountancy (CA) course.
I gave my best and cleared my CA exams.
All went well, and as the saying goes, “If God takes something from you, he replaces it with something you’ve never imagined.” That’s evident in my life. How He Crossed All the Hurdles and Became a Successful CA and Speaker
16. A CA Who Went from Limbless to Limitless
On January 24, 2001, at the age of 24, I considered myself extremely fortunate, with overwhelming family and friend support, a good education, and a steady source of income.
With sheer exuberance, I boarded a train from Ahmedabad and began singing, thanking God for having blessed me with such a beautiful life. However, that very same day, I met with a fatal train accident, and both of my lower limbs had to be amputated.
I was certified with an 80% disability almost immediately.
My parents advised me to complete my professional education, which I had left midway through, and then to priorities earnings. I resumed my Chartered Accountancy studies with their help.
Though I had artificial limbs and could walk, the very fact that I could not do certain things used to bother me subconsciously, and dwelling on the past created more pain. Because of all of this, I was unable to pass my Chartered Accountancy exams.
Nevertheless, with my dad’s blessings, today I am a qualified chartered accountant, CFM, M.com., and direct tax practitioner working in Dubai.
I am happily married, and life is amazing. My wife has no severe physical constraints. I have a child who is now 9 years old. I can proudly say that CA has transformed my life from “disabled” to “differently abled.”
How I Overcame My Mental Illness Despite Losing My Limbs and Worked Toward Becoming a Chartered Accountant
17. From a bright child to a failing CA
Failure was unheard of; school and college were a breeze. I was the “bright student” everyone thought would always succeed. And I did so until I hit the May-November CA Final whirlwind.
I studied over 12 hours a day, sacrificed every fun outing my friends planned, and lied to people I was supposed to meet, saying I was unwell, in case they thought I was being lame studying those long hours.
So where was I going wrong? I mean, what did God want me to do more than what I had already done? Was this a sick way of the universe telling me that I was going to be nothing? And that all the years I had invested in this course, right from CPT (1st level CA Final) to IPCC (2nd level CA Exam) to the 3-year articleship, were all a waste?
Everyone was moving ahead; my friends were updating their statuses about becoming doctors, lawyers, some completing their MBAs, and even some people a year younger becoming CAs. And here I was, knee-deep in books, stymied, and befuddled; should I give up? Is this for me? Quit?
For those who are reading this and facing the same thing, I have only a few things to say. People may tell you that the universe is equal and that everything will happen in its time, but I couldn’t disagree more.
- I cleared the moment I decided to quit, leaving everything to chance and God.
- I cleared the moment I decided not to wallow in self-pity and get my sh*t together.
- When I stopped blaming the ICAI for fraudulent practices, I was cleared.
- I called for my papers, analyzed them, and realized where I was going wrong.
From “I’m Nothing” to Becoming a Successful CA
18. I Earned My Chartered Accountancy While Working Full-Time
On graduating, I immediately enrolled in CA-Intermediate (equivalent to CA-IPCC as of today). I prepared for the exams and passed in Nov’04. After finishing my articles, I began working as a Company Secretary in Kolkata.
Because I was already a qualified CS, I never felt compelled to sit for the CA Final exams (the final exam in the CA course, consisting of Group 1 and Group 2), but I always wished I could finish CA.
Days and years passed, and I got married and shifted my base to Nagpur City.
Even though the work was rewarding professionally, the fact that I did not complete CA haunted me.
My wife requested that I retake the CA Final exams in April 2012.I was reluctant to cite hectic office work, travel, and my daughter growing up. On her insistence, I filled out the exam forms for CA Final in Nov’12.
I cleared CA at the age of 34 and CMA at 36 while working a full-time job.
I’ve met many semi-qualified professionals who work full-time and struggle to even appear for, let alone pass, their exams. The real challenge is to pass CA Final exams or any professional exams while working full time and that is why I decided to pen my story along with tips and tools to help you crack CA or any other professional exams while working.
You can read about my journey here: How I Cleared CA at 34 While Working at a Full-Time Job.
19. Failing Multiple Times to Become a Chartered Accountant and Working in Bangkok and China
Does failure in exams mean you will be a failure in life? Surely NOT.
Most of my friends had already qualified as CAs and were working for MNCs, Big 4s, and other reputable firms, whereas I was only earning INR 8K per month.
I did feel left behind, but these things never stopped me from achieving my dream. The social pressure was at its peak. Some people made fun of me.
Even after all this, I never let my dreams go haywire.
Fast forwarding, even after all the exam failures, I got an opportunity in Bangkok, and now I’m in China with one of the best companies.
You can read about my journey, which included failing exams, becoming a CA, and working in China.
