How to Push Yourself Through Devastating Times and Triumph

An Inspirational Story of How one can Win over Difficult Times. CA Vivek had everything going well in his life till he lost his Dad and had to manage his CA studies as well be the Bread Earner for his family. He pushed himself through it all and completed his CA. He is now working in HDFC Bank.

"Chartered Accountancy (CA) happened to me the same way it happens to most of us- Did commerce, saw everyone do CA and I went ahead to do the same," says CA Vivek Tiwari from Kolkata. 

CPT & IPCC Journey:

I cleared CPT - 1st attempt and IPCC (2nd level CA exam) in the 2nd attempt but was still UNSURE whether I was passionate about CA or not.

Articleship Journey:

Then came my articleship which completely changed my view towards this course. The work I was doing developed a passion in me towards this course and its practical aspects. I did my articleship from a mid-sized firm in Kolkata and then I coupled it up with Industrial Training in Birla Corporation Ltd that gave me work experience of a big corporate.

I always gave that little extra effort at the office during my articleship. If you enjoy your work, your sure to do better than others - that was my situation! Combining the practical aspects and application of bookish knowledge was exciting to me !!!

CA Final Journey & Personal Loss:

However, after working for 3 years getting back to that 'ZONE OF A STUDENT' and PREPARING FOR FINAL EXAMS was NOT AN EASY task. I was good with the conceptual aspects but was going very poor with the rote learning which also plays a part in the preparations. I somehow had my heart in office and was not enjoying studying. But degree was obviously equally important as the work experience.

Problems in personal life like losing my father to a sudden road accident came as a shock to me ahead of my finals. There was constant support from friends and relatives but the worry of becoming the BREAD EARNER of my family ASAP added to a desperation. This certainly did not help me prepare for my exams with a clear mind. I used to over exaggerate at times and panic at crunch times which NEVER helps.

It took me 3 attempts to clear CA Final Group 1 and then had to wait for 2 more attempts to clear CA Final Group 2.

Those days of giving my best dedication and then failing miserably were denting my confidence. But how can I forget that Dad always taught me - TO NEVER GIVE UP. Getting up each time you get knocked down is not easy but CA is probably that course which makes you mentally strong and tests your character too.

Apart from my Mother's constant support and belief of my close friends and relatives in me, some important things that kept me going were:

• A SELF BELIEF that YES I can do it
• THE NON EXISTENCE of jealousy or insecurity seeing others do it before me
• CONFIDENCE that it is a matter of PERSISTENCE and once I am through there will be no looking back.

The day when I cleared my CA exams it was a MOMENT of great JOY. A MOMENT of RELIEF. A MOMENT of PRIDE. It was a feeling that all the struggles were worth it. Today I am pleased to be working as CREDIT MANAGER in HDFC Bank, Kolkata.

Whenever I meet an aspiring CA student I stress upon 3 important things:

• TO be CONSISTENT with efforts and not give up
• TO FOCUS and BALANCE both work experience as well as bookish knowledge
• TO APPROACH the course with the RIGHT FRAME OF MIND rather than taking too much pressure or being too casual.
• Life is a bundle of failures and success. What makes us who we are IS THE WAY WE HANDLE OUR SUCCESS AND FAILURES," he concluded.

Note: You can reach him at tiwari.vivek1991@gmail.com /thecastory@gmail.com