We are all lucky enough to live in a world where various career options wait for us after reaching a specific age or attaining an educational requirement. You could become a doctor, lawyer, chartered accountant, professional gamer, or even a full-time Netflix viewer to earn money, develop your knowledge and skills, and keep the Earth turning. Businesses in different industries continuously create new and sometimes unusual jobs to keep up with evolving scenes in their fields. Since we keep making new processes, enterprises, and even trades, we need to create new work positions to prevent these modern fields from failing.
But before these new and often one-of-a-kind jobs existed, people could obtain typical jobs in various companies statewide—including the chartered accountant position. Despite being a prevalent career, this profession provides numerous opportunities and perks to individuals who dare to take them. It will be challenging to work with financial documents and taxes all the time, but your hard work will pay off through the benefits you will receive and experience.
Being a chartered accountant is one of the most rewarding careers due to the number of perks you can get from this position. But before signing up for a chartered accountant course, you must first learn about the job—including the benefits you will get from it and how you could obtain the title.
What Is A Chartered Accountant?
According to Investopedia, a chartered accountant designation is an internationally-recognised title that certifies someone’s qualifications to provide business taxes, statements, and financial advisory services. They offer solutions in various areas such as taxation, assurance, asset accounting, reporting, and management. You will often see chartered accounting professionals guiding business executives planning to acquire or merge with a company or organisation needing financial management suggestions. Moreover, they assist organisations that recently encountered fraud through their forensic accounting expertise.
If you just encountered the term ‘chartered accountant,’ you must be wondering about the difference between a certified public accountant and a typical accounting professional. For starters, a certified public accountant is a different name for a chartered accountant. Various countries use the term to indicate a position offered to professionals who got and finished a specific accounting certification. On the other hand, an accountant is a professional who provides services involving financial transactions—but they do not have sufficient experience, skills, or knowledge to solve complex problems. They are graduates of an accountancy course, whereas completing such a programme is not necessary to become a CA.
Additionally, chartered accountants are members of international CA bodies that monitor and guide their actions as financial professionals. They could obtain their accounting certification through these organisations and undergo training and ace examinations to become their members. Being affiliated with these groups could lead them to countless opportunities that would help them become successful accounting experts. Moreover, they could be part of a network of talented professionals that would help them become better chartered accountants for their clients.
Why Should I Become A Chartered Accountant?
Being a chartered accountant is not a requirement for fresh accounting graduates. It is an optional route you could take—you could still provide financial services and serve numerous clients if you do not have this specific designation. However, getting an accounting certification will open countless doors for you. It will bring you opportunities and benefits, including the following:
Improved Knowledge And Skills
Becoming a chartered accountant through programmes like the ICAEW ACA or the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Accounting Certification would help you learn concepts and gain skills that teachers from your college did not teach. Additionally, you will gain new abilities to provide more services to your clients.
Varied Career Paths
If you decide to become a chartered accountant, you could practise your profession in more than one way. You could work for a corporate firm and provide advisory services to business executives. You could also establish your own company and offer financial-related solutions to various individuals and organisations across different industries.
Better Work Opportunities
After finishing a chartered accountant course, numerous businesses will become interested in your talents and expertise. They will clamour around you and ask for your assistance in solving their financial-related concerns. They will trust your judgement and ask for your thoughts before settling accounting issues.
Higher Pay
Getting an accounting certification from courses like the ICAEW ACA will cost you resources—but the money, effort, and time you give will be worth it once you receive a significantly higher fee than other professionals in your field. Your clients will want to pay you heftier amounts for the knowledge and skills you obtained from your chartered accountancy programme.
A Chance To Land A Global Job
If you dream of travelling the world while earning money, being a chartered accountant would be your ideal career. Obtaining a CA title will allow you to become a globally-recognised accounting professional that provides services to different corners of the globe.
How Can I Become A Chartered Accountant?
Becoming a chartered accountant is not a DIY project. You cannot purchase ICAEW modules in bookstores and religiously study them to obtain a CA designation. You need to sign up for a specific programme, undergo rigorous training, finish and pass exams, and get enough work experience to become a chartered accountant. Before you reap the benefits of becoming a certified chartered accounting expert, you must first overcome numerous challenges that would strengthen and improve your knowledge and abilities in providing financial-related solutions.
The journey to becoming a chartered accountant will be far from easy. You will encounter numerous obstacles before receiving better work opportunities, getting a higher salary, and travelling to different nations to provide accounting services. You could face sleepless nights and restless days while undergoing chartered accountancy training, but overcoming these challenges will be worth it—especially after reaping the benefits of finishing a chartered accountant course.
If you think a career in chartered accountancy is ideal for you, you could start your journey at ICAEW Singapore today through their accounting certification course. Visit their website below to learn more about their programme.