Journey of a Hindi Medium Average Guy To A Chartered Accountant At The Age Of 19

• I am Piyush Dadhich. I belong to a very small town, was below average in studies and knew very little English.
• However, I proved that - If you have a desire to do something, your grit can become the wings of an Eagle to resist through all the hurdles.
• Today I am a qualified Chartered Accountant from ICAI (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and a Company Secretary. I am also a qualified FRM (US) and a CFA (US). A visiting faculty for ACCA at Christ University, Bangalore and loves encouraging students through his Facebook Page CA Tips.
• Here is my story to inspire you.

Humble Beginnings - From a Small Village to a Big City 

I was born and brought up in a very small town Tal Chhapar of Churu District, Rajasthan (India). I had studied till Class 12 in a very small Hindi medium school scoring very average marks. Unlike other guys, I loved to ride my bicycle and was never serious about my studies.

I was always busy with my bicycle, racing around in the same small town. My mom, a single Mother and the only breadwinner of our family had pampered me a lot (as I was the youngest child!). So, in short, I was a brat.

As I started getting older she got very worried about my career. It was then that my elder sister and mother decided to send me to Calcutta to complete my graduation. My maternal uncle was in Calcutta so I would be staying with him and his family.

My sister, Abhilasha, sacrificed her own studies to support my mother at home.

I somehow managed to live away from my mother and sister and settled in well with my maternal uncle and his family. I am so grateful to all of them who supported me so well when in Calcutta. Things were still not easy for an average guy like.

No college was ready to give me admission due to average marks in higher secondary school (10+2). Then, a very small college granted me admission in B. Com (Honors) at the request of my maternal uncle. Students used to tease me, insult me as I came from a Hindi background and had no fluency in the English language. This did not discourage me at all but proved to be an inspiration.

It was then I realized that I had to work on my English speaking skills as English was a necessity. That very same year I worked hard and secured the 1^st Rank in my college. Everyone around me was surprised or could say they were shocked.

After all, it is not normal for a non-English speaking boy from a tiny village to stand 1^st in college. After getting good marks in 1^st year B.com, I applied to another college which was better than this college.

I luckily go through and completed my graduation from there. I again worked hard and ended up being the topper of the college for the B. Com (Hons) batch of 2011.

Deciding to become a Chartered Accountant

While pursuing 1^st year B. Com (FYB.Com), I felt that this is not the end and in fact, was just the beginning. I took no time to take the decision to start Chartered Accountancy and Company Secretary courses.

I was discouraged by many relatives who kept telling me – How Tough Chartered Accountancy is and How CA / CS is not meant for someone like me. But the self-motivated me took no time to clear all the levels of Chartered Accountancy at one shot and was awarded as the Youngest Chartered Accountant of Eastern Region of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India at the age of 19.

In fact, I missed my CA Final All Indian Rank by only 3 marks.

At the same time with Chartered Accountancy I also completed my Company Secretary exam.

So now at the age of 19, I was a qualified Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary. After all - Positive Action Combined With Positive Thinking Always Results In Success.

Taking a Leap in the Corporate World 

After qualifying as a qualified Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary, I got a good offer with ICICI Bank and started my career with a bang.

I always felt that I still had something more to do. I wanted to do something which is not mainstream. So, while serving at ICICI Bank as a Credit Manager, I started studying for CFA (US) and FRM (US).

It was very difficult to complete all my office work and leave for classes by 5 PM. However, with the support of my peers and seniors, I managed to do so.

In fact, while at ICICI Bank I was also awarded the Best Credit Manager in the East Region of ICICI Bank. I managed my job, classes, and studies for these courses and cleared all at one shot one after one without any stoppage with an above-average percentile in the first attempt.

This was my greatest achievement in my entire life.

In Conclusion...

• There is no secret to success. It is the result of = PREPARATION + HARD WORK + LEARNING FROM HURDLES.
• This made me realize that I cannot stop myself with what I have started.
• According to me - Nothing is difficult if you have a firm determination towards it.
• I hardly used to sleep and used to study day and night with the same interest - Consistency is all that is required.
• I used to and still encourage students through my Facebook page CA Tips (has around 50k likes).
• According to me - We should not wait for the right time to come, we should make the time right for us.
• If anyone tells you - You are not capable, Just Prove it to them that all is possible.
• If I Can Do It, So Can You.