In this post, Pravesh shares with us how he overcame his fear of mathematics with the support and encouragement of his parents.
Pravesh is a qualified chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
He is also a graduate in BBA (with honours in financial management) from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.
Pravesh is also studying actuarial science at The Institute of Actuaries of India. He has cleared six subjects.
He has also qualified for the FRM and CFA Level 1 Exams. He is proficient in using SAP, Oracle BI, MS Excel, SQL, and VBA. Currently, he is learning Python and R to improve his data analysis skills.
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Overcoming the fear of mathematics
I recently cleared the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) examination in the first attempt and scored really well in 6 of the 9 subjects (with NO coaching!).
Achieving this feat wouldn’t have been possible without having a strong acumen in mathematics.
I am not someone who is blessed with a “gifted brain,” nor did I ever have a strong background in mathematics.
And today, I want to share my story on how believing in my parents’ decision has completely transformed my life and made me more equipped to contribute to the world of finance.
My goal through this story is to inspire the readers to believe that if you love something and are willing to work very hard towards it, it will come to life.
In class 11, I firmly decided not to take up mathematics as a subject. My plan was to graduate from Delhi Public School, Bhopal, as a plain commerce student.
The reason I decided not to choose math was that I could barely pass the math exams. Even the thought of this subject would give me goosebumps and scare me.
I was terribly scared; I was losing confidence in myself because of my falling grades in this one subject.
When I decided not to take mathematics as a subject, I told my mother about my decision. I told her in all honesty that if I continued with mathematics in class 11, I would fail for sure.
We debated about this for days together, but she only had one statement every time we discussed it: “I support all your decisions, but I will not encourage you on this one.” I will not let you give up on mathematics.
My mother was very adamant that I continue pursuing mathematics. My father also made the same decision. She continued to push me to practice mathematics more often.
My mom got me enrolled in one-on-one personal coaching and kept an eye on whether I was practicing math or not every single day.
I had no other option—I worked hard and struggled to pass Class 11 with 53% marks in mathematics.
My parents were very happy, even with my 53%. Now passing in mathematics has given me a great boost in confidence!
I held on to my mother’s decision for me even more strongly.
As the old adage goes, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”
I distinctly remember scribbling through 18 notebooks of 400 pages each while practicing math for my 12th grade exams.
I worked very hard and was rewarded with 95% marks in mathematics in the 12th grade board exams.
I realized that if you are willing to work religiously towards something, it will give you the fruits of success.
Qualifying as a Professional
In 2012, after passing Class 12, I got into St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, to pursue my undergraduate degree.
St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, is the Tier-1 college for undergrads in commerce and management.
And as you can expect, I used to be surrounded by city toppers, state toppers, and “gifted people” who could learn things just by listening to the lectures.
I kept wondering every day whether I would be able to survive in such a fiercely competitive environment where everyone around me was a “topper” of some institution or another.
But I kept on struggling, hoping that I would be able to graduate from St. Xavier’s.
My hard work through the 3 years of undergrad was rewarded: I not only earned my UG in Bachelor’s of Business Administration (Hons. ), but I was awarded First Rank in the Class of Financial Management in 2015.
I continued to value hard work and had found my home in finance. I went on to become a chartered accountant and passed six subjects of the actuarial science course and the CFA Level 1 Exam to improve my concepts and understanding, using the best available resources to do the same.
Nothing mentioned above would have been possible had I not believed in my parents’ decision and worked hard every day to achieve what I have today.
While I still aspire to complete the Chartered Financial Analyst exams (the gold standard in the world of investment management) and become a Fellow Actuary to contribute to the world of finance in the best possible manner,
5 LESSONS FROM MY JOURNEY
1. Tougher things are always better.
Do what you find difficult until it becomes second nature.
Mathematics was something I used to be terrified of.
Today, I cannot imagine a day without having math in my life.
2. The comfort zone is poison
Whoever you are and whatever you are doing, if you don’t feel challenged by the things that you do, you are definitely not on the correct path.
Magic happens outside of the comfort zone.
3. Give it your 100% or let it go.
Do whatever you do with a commitment to yourself that you won’t give up whatever comes your way.
What you see today is something I have developed from 12th grade (2012) to date (2018).
I’ve had many ups and downs in these 6 years, but I had faith in my goals and remained committed to them no matter how bad things got in my life.
I have learned this with experience: If you love something and you’re willing to work very hard towards it, it will come to life.
4. Stay away from negativity at all costs.
There is no one else who can decide your potential except you.
The term “electronic commerce” refers to the sale of goods and services over the internet.
Just like you have 24 hours in one day, you have limited ability to absorb negativity and still manage to stay productive.
There are a lot of negative things we come across every single day—watching the news (mostly crime, politics, and gossip), hearing “You can’t” or “You shouldn’t” or “It’s too difficult,” etc., keeps our mind distracted on things that don’t really matter and inhibits its natural ability to innovate and create.
5. Trust your parents. Period.
The only people in the world who always think about your goods, your life, and your well-being selflessly are your parents.
The “free” advice that you would often find too “old-school” will somewhere in life make you realise that it was the best “priceless” advice anyone could ever give to you.
TO CONCLUDE
If I can do all this, you can certainly do better.
I passed the CFA Level 1 Exams and FRM Parts 1 and 2 in 2018 even while working in a full-time business finance role at NTT Data Services, Bangalore, without the need to enrol in any coaching.
Nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself.
“I would love to help anyone who is seeking guidance in the Chartered Accountancy, Financial Risk Manager, Actuarial Science, and Chartered Financial Analyst exams,” he concluded.
