Journey of a CA after 12th

When does the journey of a CA student start?

A student aspiring to become a CA knows that the journey of CA doesn’t start after passing the 12th standard. He knows that his journey starts the moment he chooses Commerce as his stream of education in the 11th standard. It is not compulsory for a CA student to come from a Commerce background. However, it most certainly helps if he has a fair knowledge in this field. In the 11th standard, our teachers teach us everything from scratch. And the ones who have their concepts cleared go a long way down the path of success.

What are the milestones on the road to becoming a CA?


Nothing is ever so easy. Now, is it? Similarly, one does not simply become a CA by just enrolling themselves in the course. There are procedures to be followed and hurdles to be cleared. Only then can a person become a CA. Now, what are the milestones that we need to cross?

1. Clearing CA Foundation

The excitement of transitioning overpowers everything. Students are looking forward to the glorious period of their life. Going to a college, meeting new people, making new friends, discussing new ideas, starting a career, enrolling in a professional course – all these mark the beginning of a golden era in a student’s life.

After successfully clearing CA Foundation, students gain self-confidence. They are looking forward to the next step.

2. Clearing CA Intermediate

After clearing the CA Foundation, students tend to feel a bit more independent. They are now attending colleges AND classes for a professional course. They leave home early in the morning and come back home late at night. And more than anything else, they finally feel the adult in them spreading wings. They’re fully motivated to study hard and make their dreams of becoming a CA come true.

3. Attending OT and ITT

After acquiring theoretical knowledge, students are provided with practical training. They’re taught how to go out in the corporate world and apply the learned information.

OT or Orientation Training helps students with their soft skills whereas ITT or Information Technology Training, as the name suggests, trains the student in the area of technology.

These programmes prepare the students for the upcoming stage, i.e. Articleship.

4. Completing the Articleship

After clearing CA Intermediate and attending OT and ITT, students undergo Articleship training. Here, they are allowed on the field to learn what they’ll actually be doing after qualifying as a CA. The students gain practical knowledge of the profession along with corporate exposure.

5. Clearing the Final step

After 3 years of vigorous juggling between college and CA classes and office, students appear for their final examinations. Upon clearing THIS exam, a student respectfully earns the prefix CA before their name.

6. Finding the perfect job


Upon becoming a qualified Chartered Accountant, students set out to find that perfect job for themselves. This is where yet another stage of their career begins. Now they are qualified to be designated as a CA. That is one hard-earned designation.

7. Learning every day, growing every day

The journey of a CA does not just stop upon clearing all the exams or getting that perfect job. It’s a continuous process that goes on and on. In this field, we learn every single day. We are the professionals who ought to be updated. We can’t possibly carry on with 3 years old Tax rates. And thus, we have to keep up with the dynamic environment.

How does this journey feel like?

The answer to this question will vary from person to person. For someone, it could be glorious 4 years of their lives, while for the others it just might be the triggering point of suicidal thoughts. Some might enjoy the whole journey whilst they can while the others might just sulk and self-loathe until they clear the exams. It could either be a happy or a sad journey. It could turn out to be bright or bleak.

But here’s the thing – the ICAI does not write a student’s journey. The student himself writes his own journey. This is your story. Make it worth remembering. The only person who can turn the bleak to bright is YOU. That’s right! That’s the beauty of this course – you can change your future literally anytime you ant. You can secure All India Rank in Intermediate but fail 6 times in Final. AND in this very same course, you can fail in Intermediate 8 times and still secure All India Rank the 9th time you take exams. It’s all in your hands.

Set out on this journey with a purpose. If you don’t have one, find it along the path. It’s anyways a long road ahead. Make up your mind. DO NOT FOLLOW THE CROWD. Sharma Aunty’s opinions DO NOT MATTER. But you do. You matter. So go ahead and take up the full charge of your career and your life.