Here begins my CA Journey with complete honesty.
I passed out my 12th during 2011-12, CPT in June 2012, IPCC Both Groups in first attempt during May 2013. Thereafter began the life changing story of CA Final.
More Relaxed now, less worried about studies because Exams were to happen after 3 years from then.
Office became my 2nd family. I had always been academically sound throughout but this time my focus shifted from studies to work, I wanted to learn as much as I could. So started the saga of my mistakes, I committed in my life which taught me lessons worth remembering lifetime.
Mistake 1: Thinking Exams are Far
During the Initial stage of my articleship, I took one coaching of SFM, the morning batch despite knowing that I had never been a morning person.
Usually I used to be late to the classes, sometimes very late, missing on half of the lectures. Since exams were far so I started getting casual towards my studies. I used to go to attend the batch just to have quality time with my friends, chit chat, gossips, short trip on scooties after batch. Although I never bunked my classes but my presence in the batch was as good as my absence. As soon as the batch was over within 4-5 months, I began to focus on office work.
Mistake 2 : Overdoing
Everything I tend to do, I used to over do it! Especially when it comes to work. Sometimes due to office pressure, sometimes to escape my personal mental conflicts, sometimes voluntarily, I began to stay late at the office and this saga continued for one and a half years.
Mistake 3: Wrong Choices
I turned so obsessed with work, that I decided to go for Industrial Training to gain better exposure to the Industrial working, to add credentials to my resume.
By this time I was NIL on Academic front, PRO at the office work, INSENSITIVE to the concerns of my family members.
As widely known, you barely get good preparation leaves during Industrial training so was to happen.
I got only 2 months preparation leave. But this time I actually faced the reality that exams were not far but just 2 months away. So I studied like a machine, 17-18 hours a day taking up all the possible capsules batches I could manage to take in that short duration. Sometimes I feel like awarding myself upon thinking about those 2 months because despite beginning with zero, I managed to cover most of the course, that too of Both Groups.
After exams, I resumed my Industrial Training. Result announced. I scored 59 in 3 subjects, above 40 in other 3 subjects and failed in rest of the two (35 and 37). Seeing my marks, I figured out two things,
- Luck somewhere plays a role in your success story (Whether its minor or major, I don't know but it exists to a certain level and due to certain unknown reasons)
- I cannot doubt my skills and strengths. There existed no reason I should underestimate myself.
Again I had to appear for exams in Nov 2016, but this time I got only 35 days to prepare, (My Training was over by this time) but believe me November attempts had always bought so much chaos and disturbances to my peaceful life. The reason 'DIWALI' and 'DIWALI KI SAFAI, ARRANGEMENTS, DECORATION, SHOPPING ETC'. I once again took Both Groups and could not clear but I earned an exemption in ISCA which came as a big mental relief to me.
Taking both groups again and again despite running short of time was something I would count as mistake no 4 that I made.
I did not know that 2017 was coming with a lot of pain and grief. In the beginning of the year I lost my grandmother, although she never lived with us, although she died a natural death but still It came as a shock to family and we were not happy about it. Then my father met with an accident so I had to take up all the office responsibilities for 2-3 months until he recovered.( My father is a tax consultant).
Amidst all such stuff, came GST pre-implementation guidelines and deadlines, I don't know if you are aware or remember this thing. Before GST officially implemented, it suffered many postponement right from 2016 and due to this, daily there were new deadlines to obtain your GST Provisional IDs, to get enrolled under GST, to update under your respective state laws and all. Although today things seems to set right in place but during that time, it created a lot of fuss and chaos. I remember myself doing office work even a night before my Exams.
Not only this, among all this disturbance, I was getting mentally disturbed and annoyed too. I came to know that my best friend had been suffering from a life threatening disease. I kept that secret to myself only and never spoke about it to anyone; It was eating me inside. Listening to someone's last days struggle and stories is really painful. Although I knew he had been battling still I never actually accepted that fact that I was about to loose him someday until I actually did.
Seeing him dead was something that completely broke me inside. I had so much to do in my life still I found myself totally aimless and directionless. I used to open my books but I could hardly read or study, my books used to be wet with my tears. My pain was endless. People say that time heals your wounds but my pain was multiplying every single moment, it didn't seem to have an end.
Then to settle myself mentally, I took up Vipaassana Meditation Course during Dec 2017, it helped me to a great extent. Finally 2017 ended.
Then started 2018. I was now fearless, I already lost something very precious before winning this CA Battle. Now even the weirdest thoughts could not scare me. I learnt a very important lesson into my life that I wanted to be a Chartered Accountant but I didn't want to loose my own self in that process.
Before setting for studies, I cleared my mind, I removed all the negative thoughts, I left my past in 2017 only, I decided never to look back ever again in my life and was also determined never to stop being thankful to your family who is equally the part of your CA Battle as much as you are, I understood that any work has to be done in a disciplined and controlled way. If you try to be excessive on any front then you will surely do it at the cost of sacrificing something equally precious.
With this mindset, I started with my studies and somewhere I knew that this time it was FINAL.
Consequently, I cleared Group 2 in May 2018 and Group 1 on 23.01.2019. This was not only my victory but it was equally felt by my Papa Mummy, my brother sisters and my friends. I saw them crying, jumping, dancing. They have been telling every single person they are coming across that I cleared CA because this is one of the most important and awaited events of our lives.
As I said, luck plays a role into your life whether major or minor I don't know but it exists. So it existed into my life as well, I could not made it in first attempt as life wanted me to teach these important lessons which probably I had been ignoring in my life. Chalo acha hai, Galti karke and seekh k main CA Bani hu, CA Bannne k baad ye galtiyan nahi karungi. These mistakes (Imbalance in personal and professional life, not taking right decisions etc) I committed before I turned CA so as to avoid these mistakes after becoming a CA and to be very honest I don't regret any of the mistakes I made because:
- Life me Regret karne ka time nahi na hi gunjaaish
- These mistakes made me whatever I am today :)
So this was my journey as a Student and now I am all set for the Journey as an ICAI Member.
Happy Reading :)