From Failing in IPCC Group 1 to Delay in Starting Articleship to Becoming a Sketch Artist

Here Ashish shares how he scored 92.4 % in 12th std and still failed IPCC Group - 1 multiple times delaying his entire articleship by 1.5 years. If IPCC is holding you back, pls do write to him for guidance and how to make study notes. He also talks about his success as a Sketch Artist.

My Journey

"After passing 12th Std with 92.4%, I registered for CPT (1st level CA exam). It was decided earlier only that I'll pursue CA because finance is something that I always loved. I qualified CPT in my 1st attempt and then registered myself for CA- IPCC (2nd level CA exam which consists of 2 groups, Group 1 & Group 2)," says Ashish Jain, CA Final student, and a self-taught sketch artist from Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

"I cleared IPCC Group - 2 in the 1st attempt but it was quite difficult and laborious for me to clear Group 1. It took me 3 more attempts to clear Group 1 thus delaying my articleship by 1.5 years. Most of my friends had completed half of their articleship when I started mine but I never compared myself to others and stayed strong.

Every time I failed Group 1 in different subjects, first it was Taxation then Law and then Costing / FM and in all those attempts I had scored 58, 59, 58 in Accounting subject thus missing my exemption by 1-2 marks every single time. Finally, in May'16 attempt, I gave all 4 Subjects equal importance and analyzed what all I was doing wrong.

• For Law, I made notes for every single and summarized Ethics & Communication in just 10-15 sheets.
• For Costing / FM, I went for the study material, Practice Manual & RTP only and made notes for the theory part which comprises 28-30 marks in the paper.
• For Taxation, I strengthened my Indirect Taxation part and was finally well prepared for that attempt.

Finally, I cleared IPCC - Group 1 with 56 (Acc), 50 (Law), 68 (CFM), 54 (Tax) marks in that attempt.

My ADVICE to IPCC Students

• To IPCC student that Institutes’ Study Material is the best & sufficient for preparation.
• I personally feel, if you are pursuing CA, you should be hardworking, patient and very proactive.
• And most of all you should have guts to see your failure and overcome your failures.

My Sketching Career

Now lets come to the part of How I Started My Sketching - I was in CA - IPCC and my CA classes were scheduled from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. Due to this hectic schedule, I once started sketching randomly in class. I felt so good drawing random sketches, it acted like a stress buster. I posted one of my sketches on FB and the response I got was encouraging.

From the very beginning, it was quite tough to manage my studies and sketching. Initially, I used to draw majorly in the 2 month period of IPCC Exams and results. Studies were, are, will always be my PRIORITY.

Post-IPCC, I registered for my articleship training with a mid-size firm in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Now the time I spent sketching reduced as I had to manage my articleship, CA Final coaching and sketching.

But I was still happy as I was getting a stipend, thus giving me the freedom to buy more sketching stationery. Presently I dedicate at least 8-9 hrs a week for sketching. This includes personal sketches as well as commissioned work for others.

If you genuinely have good skills and talent, the best way to spread your work is social media. I created my Facebook page Ash_creative space in July'15. I got a bunch of good audiences who responded positively and gave me a good start. Over time I refined my skills by watching tutorial videos and practiced again and again.

At present more than 6500 people follow me on FB and my biggest unexpected break was in July'16, when my pencil work of Virat Kohli (work name - Evolution of ViratKohli (Kid, Teen, and The Beast) went viral all over social media. All renowned FB pages like - Laughing Colors, Cricket Addictor, Being Indian, CricTraker shared my artwork many times.

I also got appreciations from celebrities too. Till now, I got replies and appreciations from Disha Patani, Shirley Setia, Riteish Deshmukh, Neha Kakkar etc.

I also got an opportunity to exhibit my artworks at CA Students National Conclave held at Agra in Jan 2017 where I got an amazing response from our CA Students and also gifted a sketch to CA Amarjit Chopra, Past President ICAI.

My Advice

• Listen to your instincts! Do not lose any opportunity, just GRAB IT. You never know what God is planning for you and always give your best in everything whether it’s studies or just a hobby.
• I always believe - The Best Things Happen To You Unexpectedly, It Depends On You, How You Respond To It," he concluded.