“So how does a bright resilient student like Jonathan, end up in a career that is so unfulfilling.”
Jonathan comes home every night exhausted with sore eyes and a strained back. He was hunched close up to his computer monitor reconciling an account on a spreadsheet for the past 9 hours.
Jonathan is in his 30’s and now a financial manager at a multi national corporation. He lives in a 2 bedroom house which is mortgaged and has a wife and 2 kids.
He was one of the top students in school and touted to have a bright future ahead of him. He was advised to become a Chartered Accountant (CA / CPA). So he sacrificed going out and having fun, worked extremely hard and eventually qualified as a CA.
While Jonathan makes a decent salary to live an upper middle class lifestyle, his job lacks creative expression, he is chained to his desk 5 days a week and he lives for the weekends.
He reads quotes on facebook saying “do work you love” but he ignores it. Either he thinks it doesn’t exist or its “not for people like him”.
So how does a bright resilient student like Jonathan, end up in a career that is so unfulfilling. Let me give you some background on the path to becoming a CA.
The CA Path
On average it takes 7-8 years to qualify as a CA/CPA (hereafter referred to as CA). Ask any CA and they will tell you that studying for the CA exams is extremely stressful, boring and possibly the worst period in their lives.
On top of that, most CA programs require getting 2-3 years relevant work experience (mainly audit) before being fully qualified and a licensed CA.
Up until this point, the path (not an easy one) was clearly laid out. Some choose to remain in audit however most are eager to get out.
For the first time, the newly minted CA has to decide in which direction they want to take their career and this is where they mess up.
Here are the 5 Mistakes:
1. They do not spend enough time exploring their interests/passion or they consider passion and a career to be mutually exclusive.
2. They are insecure – they forget the arduous journey they have made to get where they are.
3. They engage recruitment consultants and blindly trust them. They are swayed by these sweet talking recruiters (sales people) and believe that these people have their best interests in mind.
4. They are influenced by money- As trainee audit salaries are low, when a newly qualified CA enters the job market, the market related CA salaries offered to them are irresistible.
5. They get committed – their average age is 25-26, and they begin settling down, buying a house and starting a family. Now they are fully committed and have less space to explore.
To avoid making some of these mistakes, a good starting point is to apply this Proven 3-Step Referral Method when looking to make the switch and move out of Audit.
The Difference
While they were studying at nights and on weekends for the CA exams, their friends in other fields (such as marketing, engineering, business) had time to do some soul searching and explore their interests / passion.
While they were completing their 3-year audit trainee program, their friends changed jobs a few times and found something more suitable or even started a business.
Hence at 25-26, while their friends have faced the real world and have a better understanding of what they want to do, the newly qualified CA is only leaving home.
Conclusion
I am not trashing the CA program. As a CA myself, I have experienced firsthand the benefits of this widely recognized qualification. To do justice, I should devote an entire blog post on the benefits of becoming a CA.
That said, I have seen so many of my CA friends end up in Jonathan’s situation and this post is meant to bring awareness to that critical period when newly qualified CA’s have to decide on their next steps.
While I am guilty of making all 5 mistakes, I’m slowly making amends. I’m in my 30’s and here I am still exploring. Possible career as a writer?
I also teach aspiring CA’s how to break out of audit and accounting and find their dream job in this free training.
Register for Free Training – 3 Secrets to Transform your Career and Find your Dream Job – (locally or abroad)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bilal is an internationally renowned coach for aspiring CA’s and CPA’s.
Bilal believes that CA’s are individuals with grit, perseverance and sound business and financial knowledge.
Yet he finds many not achieving their dreams and goals. He created this website to help young CA’s maximise their potential and fast-track their careers.
You might be interested to visit his LinkedIn page https://www.linkedin.com/in/bilalnoorgat/ to learn more about his background.