Career Options after CA - Over the years, Chartered Accountancy has gained a reputation of a rewarding course with great career opportunities for CA students. After completing 5 years full fledged course Chartered Accountancy, students expect good salary and career options after CA as they have worked hard to clear the course and become a designated Chartered Accountant. But after completing CA Final what next? The term Chartered Accountant holds great importance in the Finance and corporate world and a Chartered Accountant will have ample number of opportunities and scopes from getting placed in the BIG 4 to PSUs to starting your own firm. Read the complete article to get detailed insight about career options after CA.
The journey to become a Chartered Accountant starts from the CA Foundation exam, the entry level exam for Chartered Accountancy. Candidates who have completed their class 12 in any stream (except for fine arts) will be eligible to appear for this exam. Subsequently, candidates will have to clear the CA Intermediate and CA Final exams and complete their articleship training to become a designated Chartered Accountant. Once a candidate clears CA Foundation, they will be eligible to appear for the next exam i.e. CA Intermediate. After clearing CA Intermediate, candidates will have to complete mandatory articleship training to be eligible to appear for CA Final. After clearing the CA Final exam candidates will become a certified Chartered Accountant recognized by ICAI.
GIven below are a few careers options to answer the question of what to do after becoming CA.
There are 4 major companies that employ a good number of CAs. E&Y, PWC, Deloitte, and KPMG are the Big 4, the four major recruiters in the industry. These companies hire fresh Chartered Accountants every year and offer great salary packages and opportunities. Experienced professionals also have ample number of job opportunities in the Big 4.
Opening their own CA firm or working for a big or medium CA firm is what many Chartered Accountants choose as their careers path. For many professionals CA firms are the starting point for their professional careers where they get the much required practical skills and exposure. After grinding and working hard, CAs master the art of dealing with clients and other stakeholders in the business. CA Firms generally offer salary between 3-8 lacs. Also candidates can also start their own CA firm.
There is a great demand for Chartered Accountants in big IT Companies like TCS, Wipro, Infosys etc. These companies hire freshers and experienced Chartered Accountants for their businesses and offer handsome salary packages. The workload in such companies is also minimal.
PSUs like BSNL, ONGC, BHEL, GAIL hire much fresher CA from the campus placement. These companies often shortlist the candidates on the basis of their marks ranging from 55% to 60%. The number of candidates who passed with two or more attempts in CA Final generally got selected by PSUs.
Chartered Accountants can also try their hand in teaching as a lot of students prepare for many levels of CA exams. However, this profession is driven by passion and deep knowledge and candidates who feel teaching is their calling can open their own coaching institute or get placed in big institutes and help students clear the exams.
CAs who have cleared the exam in their first attempt have been offered jobs by multinational companies (MNCs), private banks and national banks. Here is the average that they have been offered in the past three years:
CA final rankers | Rs 15-25 LPA |
Cleared CA Final in a single attempt | Rs 11-15 LPA |
CA Fresher | Rs 6-9 LPA |
Some of the company-specific offered floated to such CAs are:
Company | CA Salary Offered (in Rs LPA) |
SBI Bank | 6-17 |
Tata Company | 10-22 |
ITC | 10-25 |
Hindustan Unilever Ltd | 10-36 |
ICICI Bank | 11-27 |
Bharti Airtel | 12-22 |
Aditya Birla Sun Life | 13-28 |
Deloitte | 14-35 |
KPMG | 14-32 |
Reliance Industries | 25-45 |
There are lot of course options after becoming CA. Given below are few such options that a CA can pursue which will further throw light on answering the question of what after CA.
Budget analysis, in a nutshell, entails thoroughly analyzing the details of a financial budget. The budget analysis aims to better understand and manage revenue. Budget analysts assist in the achievement of financial targets, the preservation of profitability, and the pursuit of long-term growth for a business. Budget analysts generally have a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a closely related field. Knowledge of Financial Management is of prime importance in this career.
The invention of the database has given fresh breath to the people involved in the data analytics career path. Analysis refers to splitting up a whole into its individual components for individual analysis. Data analysis is a method through which raw data are processed and transformed into information that would be beneficial for user strategic thinking.
Data are collected and examined to respond to questions, evaluate hypotheses or contradict theories. It is a tool for analyzing, transforming, modeling, and arranging data with useful knowledge, to assist in decision-making and methods, encompassing various strategies, and is used in different fields of business, research, and social science.
An underwrite plays crucial roles in the finance and insurance industry and works for mortgage, loan, and insurance companies. He or she analyses applications for insurance policies and assess the risk capacity to decide whether to approve application or reject. He or she assesses and evaluates the risk of another party for a fee in the form of commision or premium.
Underwriters have strong analytical skills and they understand the insurance principle to evaluate the health of potential clients. They collaborate with agents, brokers, and to their clients to collect information and explain the insurance product details. They work on all kinds of insurance like mortgage, health insurance, life insurance, automobile, and several other kinds of insurance.
Finance Executives manage money, overseeing a company's income, expenses, and investments. They monitor financial transactions, create and assess reports like cash flows, and strategies to enhance profit margins and reduce expenses. Their role is crucial for staying competitive and making wise market decisions in response to current dynamics.
Finance Executives establish strategic financial goals, objectives, and performance criteria. Strong accounting and analytical skills are fundamental to this role. While often working fixed hours, they may extend their work hours to meet deadlines. This career is well-suited for individuals with a keen understanding of finance, attention to detail, and the ability to navigate complex financial landscapes.
A product manager is a professional who determines what a product should do and how it should look like. A product manager analyses customer needs and combines them with company goals to develop a product that satisfies everyone. He or she works in coordination with different departments like engineers, salespersons, and product designers to ensure everyone works towards achieving the company's goals.
A product manager develops strategies and plans to help the employees work towards a common goal that is to develop a product that the customers demand. He or she plays the role of the first point of contact in the organisation for anyone who needs to know about the product. Concerning larger programmes, they work with Technical Program Managers to deliver results.
Operations manager is tasked with supervising the financial and business experts involved in the production of goods and services. A career as operations manager needs to supervise many divisions and coordinate daily activities. The role of operations manager is to oversee and manage diverse activities which is part of a profession as an operations manager.
All levels of an organisation's operational activities are overseen by an operations manager. He or she is in charge of selecting candidates, imparting instruction, and managing quality control programmes. Operations managers also develop plans for process improvements to ensure that everyone finishes their work on schedule. He or she must regularly evaluate budgets, manage costs, and analyse data and statistics.
A stock analyst is an individual who analyses and evaluates various stocks and securities in the financial market. He or she in the stock analyst career forecasts stock market results, normally with an emphasis on the securities that a company or firm invests in. He or she also prepares scientific reports on financial forecasts, predictions, and recommendations based on a stock's expected profit.
Individuals who enjoy learning and data processing, are good problem solvers, and have a strong work ethic will excel in the stock market analyst sector. Students can pursue a BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration), MBA (Master of Business Administration), M.Stat (Master of Statistics) to opt for a career in stock market analysis
A Researcher is a professional who is responsible for collecting data and information by reviewing the literature and conducting experiments and surveys. He or she uses various methodological processes to provide accurate data and information that is utilised by academicians and other industry professionals. Here, we will discuss what is a researcher, the researcher's salary, types of researchers.
Welding Engineer Job Description: A Welding Engineer work involves managing welding projects and supervising welding teams. He or she is responsible for reviewing welding procedures, processes and documentation. A career as Welding Engineer involves conducting failure analyses and causes on welding issues.
A Quality Assurance (QA) Manager, synonymous with a Quality Assurance Manager, holds a pivotal role in ensuring products meet predefined standards. Responsible for planning, directing, and formulating control policies, the QA Manager safeguards company efficiency and profitability. By scrutinizing products for flaws and ensuring compliance with internal and external requirements, they uphold quality, validating the effectiveness of quality assurance teams in maintaining high standards before product release.
A quality controller plays a crucial role in an organisation. He or she is responsible for performing quality checks on manufactured products. He or she identifies the defects in a product and rejects the product.
A quality controller records detailed information about products with defects and sends it to the supervisor or plant manager to take necessary actions to improve the production process.
A Production Manager oversees manufacturing processes, ensuring timely and budgeted delivery of products. Responsible for safe, cost-effective production meeting quality standards, their role adapts to the production system. Also known as an Operations Manager, they manage human and material resources, contributing to efficient production and service delivery.
A product manager is a professional who determines what a product should do and how it should look like. A product manager analyses customer needs and combines them with company goals to develop a product that satisfies everyone. He or she works in coordination with different departments like engineers, salespersons, and product designers to ensure everyone works towards achieving the company's goals.
A product manager develops strategies and plans to help the employees work towards a common goal that is to develop a product that the customers demand. He or she plays the role of the first point of contact in the organisation for anyone who needs to know about the product. Concerning larger programmes, they work with Technical Program Managers to deliver results.
A QA Lead is in charge of the QA Team. The role of QA Lead comes with the responsibility of assessing services and products in order to determine that he or she meets the quality standards. He or she develops, implements and manages test plans.
A Structural Engineer designs buildings, bridges, and other related structures. He or she analyzes the structures and makes sure the structures are strong enough to be used by the people. A career as a Structural Engineer requires working in the construction process. It comes under the civil engineering discipline. A Structure Engineer creates structural models with the help of computer-aided design software.
The Process Development Engineers design, implement, manufacture, mine, and other production systems using technical knowledge and expertise in the industry. They use computer modeling software to test technologies and machinery. An individual who is opting career as Process Development Engineer is responsible for developing cost-effective and efficient processes. They also monitor the production process and ensure it functions smoothly and efficiently.