Audit executive
230 Points
Joined March 2010
Dear All ,
This post of mine is not being made with an intention of offending the views of many people here but before arriving at a conclusion , Lets play a game of breaking it down based on the nature of the question asked.
1.Its very obivious that in a forum like a caclubindia.com , the answer will be a biased answer with people inclining towards CA. There are no two ways about it . I can definetely say for sure that atleast 99 % of the people would say CA is a better course .
The reasons are quite obivious . The main reason that they would side with CA is that the people feel that the time invested in towards acquiring the professional qualification is high thereby enabling them to earn the tag of being superior to a M.B.A graduate . So though the question is appropriate , Addressing this in a forum which is dominated by CA's in my view is not appropriate.
The mistake often made by Chartered Accountants is that they feel that Articleship is a very valuable experience . In reality it is not ,unless when the same is pursued in either the big firms or firms which essentially have a lot of top clients for you to end up doing quality work.
Even if you are doing articleship in a reasonably good sized firm , It is usually the partner and the senior manager who does the strategy work .To say that the Article Clerk does strategy work is a bit inappropriate in my view . Yes the article clerk does undergo hardships but it does not give a competitive edge in terms of learning.
2. To think that Financial Statements are the start and end of everything is again not correct and people are essentially fooling themselves by thinking so . Its very essential to know that Finance is a concept which extends beyond the terms of Accountancy and Book Keeping . I will definetely say that Financial Statements are an integral part because it is a reflection of the Company's Financial Position but its aspects like Budgeting , Forecasting , Understanding the processes and the Nature of the Business are definetely the key drivers which translate into results and profits
CA's think that the ability to understand complicated legal jargons give them an edge but in reality what is needed is the ability to translate , interpret and communicate the results in a simple language
3.To say that Management Professionals cannot practice their profession is an absolute fallacy . There are several people who start venture capitalist firms and other strategic consultancies using their insights achieved through their interactions with top industrial experts .
4.Lastly to be fair to the M.B.A candidates WHILE MAKING COMPARISONS . DONT BE AFRAID TO MAKE COMPARISONS WITH THE BEST . WHEN YOU OBTAIN A PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION FROM THE ONLY PREMIER ACCOUNTING BODY IN INDIA WHICH IS ICAI . YOU HAVE TO MAKE COMPARISONS WITH THE MBA'S OBTAINED ONLY FROM THE TOP B SCHOOLS WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY IN THE TOP 10 LIST. DONT BOTHER MAKING COMPARISONS WITH INSTITUTES OUTSIDE THE TOP 10 BECAUSE THE LOGIC IS FLAWED WITH MAKING COMPARISONS.
5.Check out the student profiles of the top B-Schools . You will be surprised to know that many CA's working in top firms in respectable levels apply to get insights on strategic leadership and other soft skills to get a competitive edge and most definetely a fatter pay packet
The key thing to remember is CA is a good base qualification but to think that it equips you with all the facets required to thrive completely is not appropriate .
Focus on doing the job well and try to succeed in whatever you do . The profession is not what makes you but is what you make of it ultimately
CAclubindia
