Flashback 2015

I heard dying people sees flashback of his life before dying. I don’t know whether its true or not. I suppose no one left to share that experience with me. I don’t know when I will die and whether I would have flashback of my own. But If I do, I want my flashback to be a happy one. I want to die with the satisfaction “Life well spent”! For now lets stick to the point. We are at the edge of another year. Just couple of hours left before new year 2016 starts. Each year I try to write a review of my life for the year. I would like to do the same for this year too. I know there are few regular readers of my gibberish, random and pointless thought. I want to flashback with them to my life in 2015.

If my previous flashback (Click here to read), I mentioned that odd years favors me the most. When 2015 started, I was very much hopeful.  It didn’t disappoint me at all. Rather it favored me more than I imagined. Alhamdulillah! 2015 was a blast for me despite there were some incidents at the end. 2015 was a year of success for me.

I can recall that 2015, I was very much tensed at the start of 2015. I just appeared on Application level exam for second time with aim to pass remaining 4 subjects. I badly needed to pass those 4 subjects. There were lots of variables hanging over my head. in the mean time, I  attended a apps development session with Microsoft (read here). It was an exceptional experience. It helped me to get rid of my stress for few days.

Life always have some surprise for you. Just when everything started to look bad, good news started to come out (read original blog). I traveled to Khulna as part of my last audit tour. It was first audit tour being a senior and my first air travel. The tour was just before the exam result. Alhamdulillah! I managed to pass all remaining 4 subjects when results were published in March 2015. I got admitted for CA advance stage in march and attended march-may 2015 session of coaching class. At that time my CMA result were published. I passed “Intermediate Financial Accounting” which i was struggling to overcome. I got admitted for the level 3 in CMA at time when I was undergoing my CA advance class. I started to realize that my dreams were started to take shapes.

When I started my CA articleship, I planned to complete at least two level of CA within the articleship period. When I passed second level within the articlship period, I felt like I achieved my aim. Ultimately it kept me away from achieving the ultimate dream to be a CA. So I made a new aim. To pass CA without giving any annual fee for maintaining Articleship. This ultimately meant passing 4 subjects of Advance stage within the first attempt and my last attempt in articleship period. I also availed my last one month exam leave.

I completed my CA articleship on 12th June of 2015. It was already 3 years. I was so waiting for this day. But when it did, I kinda felt bad. “When I started it, was like a hell. but as days went by, I started loving it. I met many wonderful people, I went many places, I had stress, I was insulted, I had frustration but then again I had exciting experiences. Looking back to these three years, I had great luck. I had many moments that are rare even among the CA students” [FB status]. Just few days after completion of articleship, I attended CA May-June 2015 exam.

After exam, I joined AQC as an Assistant Manager in assurance department. Although I was automatically promoted from the very next day of articleship, I started working only after I returned from exam. I worked as Assistant Manager until 20th August when CA result was published. To my surprise, I managed to pass all subjects of CA advance stage within the first attempt and I have became an Associate Chartered Accountant. It was a bit shock to me. I was not expecting that much. But Alhamdulliah! almighty favored me. After becoming an ACA, I was promoted as Manager – Assurance at AQC.

Things become different for me when I became a ACA. A got my own room at office, got new responsibilities and new clients. People started taking me differently and somehow I felt tone in their voice has changed a little. I was enjoying the changes around me. I knew it was my time. I worked had for last 3 years to achieve these. But to be honest, I don’t like to be treated differently. I am same old me. A degree doesn’t change me. I know who I am. I know my strengths, my weaknesses and I know I have not become someone special to be treated differently.

Things got little busy after becoming manager. Work pressure started to increase but I stated to get used to with these. Thanks to Arif vai [Md. Ariful Hoque, Director, AQC], Shabab vai [Shabab M. Zaman, Manager, AQC, and Hamid sir [Partner, AQC]. There were very kind and helpful to me. I took charge of my first audit client as manager. By the end of client, a member of Vuries & Co. left AQC. It was Saad. He joined Index group. Saad and I started our articleship together. We were very competitive to each other but we are very good friends. We two had good understanding of each other. Together we developed lots of audit templates and different audit strategy for our audit and advisory clients. I was also happy for him. He got a job he wanted and best suits him.

Nothing important happened from then other than few random events. I appeared on CIMA strategic  case exam, I attended first CPD seminar of ICAB, I voted in ICAB election 2015. This was upto the end of November. December started with a twist. I lost one of my dearest person. Soon some of my friends, colleagues and relatives lost some of their own. By end of December I heard total of 7 death news. Another bad thing that happened to on December that I developed  Bell’s palsy. I will write about it in different blog sometimes. yet after all these, 2015 being a odd year and favorable year, kept it charm. I took my first tour outside the country in December. I went to India for official purpose at the beginning of December. And finally I heard that there will be raise soon enough.

Now if I point out to my month-wise Highlight for 2015, I am sure it would be like this. Took some help of my FB account to make this highlights.

• January:
  • Last audit client with Md. Jillur Rahman Zico vai.
  • Participated in apps development training under Microsoft Bangladesh.
• February:
  • Audit Tour to Khulna. Last audit tour as an audit assistant and first air travel.
  • Qualified Professional Stage (Application Level) from ICAB
• March:
  • Started coaching class for CA advance stage.
  • Passed level 1 at CMA.
• April:
  • Tested the test of EY! attended Ernst & Young Town hall Program at The Westin, Dhaka.
  • Visited my native village with members of Vuries & Co. [Saad, Wahid, Manik & me]
  • End of Spring semester of MBA.
• May:
  • Nothing significant! hanging out with Vuries & Co. watching movies and Game of Throne, exam preparation and one month exam leave.
• June:
  • Completed CA articleship  from A. Qasem & Co.
  • Joined A. Qasem & Co. as Assistant Manager.
  • Attended May-June 2015 CA exam.
  • Stopped paying Marvel : Avenger Alliance; Enough with avenging the world.
  • Started playing Clash of Clan. Need some resources you know! 🙂
• July:
  • attended hectic classes in MBA.
  • Tried to match with new position.
• August:
  • Became Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA).
  • Promoted as Manager-Assurance at A. Qasem & Co. (Rank-Senior in Ernst & Young).
  • End of Summer Semester of MBA.
• September:
  • Celebrated Eid-ul-Azha with family at Native Village.
  • Start of Fall semester of MBA. Last one before final semester.
  • Got admitted to CIMA and enrolled for Strategic Case study exam.
• October:
  • Visited native village once again with [Murad, Imran, Yamin & Ricky].
  • Started last audit client with Saad Mahmud.
• November:
  • Participated in ICAB election 2015.
  • Saad left A. Qasem & C0. and joined Index group.
  • Attended CIMA Strategic Level case study exam.
• December:
  • Loss of nearest and dearest persons of me, my colleagues, friends and family members.
  • Stepping out to India. First foreign tour and second air flight.
  • Stress of assignments, exams, term papers and finally end of Fall semester of MBA.
  • Developed Bell’s Palsy.
  • Got a raise!

Now just one more things to write about. Review of 2015 resolution and comparing achievement. In 2015, there were only 2 aim to achieve. 1) To live happily with my closest one. 2) to be a better man than I was in earlier years. I don’t know how much of it I achieved. I am alive and same old me. Just with one new degree and new role to play. I am happy as long as I am alive. And others know whether or not I have been better than earlier self.

Alhamdulillah! It was an exciting year for me! wasn’t it?? In Sha Allah! I upcoming years will be exciting too. Though i don’t expect much from 2016 being a even year. Now before I finish, let me share something about my blog. 2015 was a very good year for my blog too. I write 8 blogs around the year and in contrast it attracted 17,000 view this year. In 2014, it was only 4,000 views. I just loved it.

Things happened and still happening

So I’m writing blog once again! hurry!! It’s been a while but I have very valid reason which is “I’m super lazy”.  Apart from that, I was busy with CA exam and auditing. My last post was about postponed CA exam. It was supposed to start on 7th June and finish on 15th June. However due to legal matter exam was postponed. Exam was rescheduled on June 22 which is nearly 2 weeks later. Exam ended on July 5th. It was delayed again for 3 days for strike.

This was my first attempt in CA Exams. I appeared on all 7 subjects on CA Knowledge Level exams. My preparation was above average. So I was little nervous about exams. But Exam questions was comparatively easier than other session of exams. Therefore my performance in exam was better than I expected. Although I made some silly mistakes but I’m hopeful with my performance. I know I will not pass all the subjects but I’m hoping to pass most of them.

I had to join for auditing very next day when exam ended. I went to audit at Hop Lun for second time. This time I was not the junior team member. We had time pressure in that client but we managed to pull that off. As soon as we finished auditing, Saad and me have been shifted to new assignment. Till now I’m working on that assignment.

Before the CA exam started, I attended my long waited convocation. Though it was organized poorly, but still we enjoyed our day. Now we are officially graduate.

When I was auditing Hop Lun, I got my April 2013 exam result of ICMAB. I appeared on 2 subjects IFA (Intermediate Financial Accounting) and COA (Cost Accounting). I appeared for IFA for the third time and for COA second time. This time I manged to pass COA but failed again in IFA. In the meantime I got admitted for level 2 in ICMAB. Now I’m planning to sit for 3 exams of level 2 and IFA of level 1. I’ve already done will exam form fill up and payment.

Now some other news. some of my colleagues were planning to sit for MBA admission test of Dhaka University. When I heard their planning, I joined in. I applied in last admission test but skipped exam at the end. This time I was determined to sit for exam but my exam preparation was nill. But yet I attended the exam. I did excellent in exam considering exam without preparation. But I was not hopeful. But  I found my name on the list of candidates selected for next phrase when result came out. Second phrase was interview. I attended on the interview but it was the worst considering all the interviews I faced. This time I was sure that I will not be selected.  My colleagues were selected too for the interview. Their interview went well. But at the end I was selected where none of my colleagues except Hasan vai were selected. Hasan vai stood 23rd of all candidates. My position was 397. Oh, my fried Shuvo was also selected. His position was 249. All 3 of us got chance in Accounting Information System department.  Now I am planning to get admitted and continue me my MBA along with CA and CMA. Though it will be very much tough but I think I will be able to handle it. Let’s see what happens next.

Exam Postponed!

May-June 2013 exam of ICAB which was scheduled to begin from June 08, 2013 has been postponed due to unavoidable reason. New date will be announced as soon as possible. So far I came to know that some student of P2 level of old syllabus have applied to High Court of Bangladesh for a stay order on CA May-June 2013 exams. Details information is yet not available. I came to know about some rumors about exam cancellation at afternoon. I tried to confirm from various source but not one was able to give me right answer. Everyone seemed to be confused. Finally ICAB published a circular confirming the exam postponed news. Here is the link of Circular from ICAB website (Click here for Link). I have uploaded the Circular for your convenience.
ca exam postponed Notice

Third attempt

Once again I returned from a long blogging gap. And as usual I was busy. My CA exam is knocking at the door and I was panicking all these time and tried to get prepared for the exam. In the meantime my CMA exam was held. Moreover I was busy with my audit works and CA classes. All together I was in great pressure. But now I am free a bit because I took a leave for a month from my CA firm. It’s a tradition in our firm that those who will appear in the any CA exams for the first time will get a leave for a month.

Even though I was preparing for CA exams, I attended two exams of level 1 of CMA exams. I admitted in CMA back in December 2011. I first appeared on CMA exam in August 2012 exam and then in December 2012 exam. I passed a subject each time. So in 2 attempt I passed 2 out of 4 subjects in Level 1 exams. So April 2013 exam was my third attempt. In this time I appeared on two subjects which were Intermediate Financial Accounting (IFA) and Cost Accounting (COA). I appeared in these exams in previous exams. It was my third attempt in IFA and second in COA.

Although my last attempts could not bring me any success, but I am sure I will be successful this time. At least I will be successful in IFA. And that will be a big one for me. Because , except for CMA exams, I never failed in any accounting exams in my life. In fact I used to get the top marks. Moreover Accounting is y favorite subject. So failing in this subject hurts my ego.

I hope I will pass in both subjects and will appear for 2 subjects of level 2 in August 2013 exams. My new year resolution was to complete at least 100 marks by  this year. I believe I will be able to achieve my goal. My another goal was to pass all courses of Knowledge level of CA exams. I hope I will be able to do that by this year too. Pray for me.

 

To be a professional accountant….

Finally I am done with exams. I have attended  December 2012 exam organized by ICMAB for professional level 1 courses. I have passed one of four courses in previous exam. During that time I appeared in the exams of two courses. Unfortunately I failed in one. This time I have attended the exams of the subjects. Thous are Intermediate financial accounting, Cost accounting and Management & Marketing Management courses.

It was very tough for me to get the time to attend the exams. I get very little opportunity to do or take part in anything as I have to give lots of time in Auditing or working for the CA firm. Also I have to study CA books. This time I was very fortunate. My senior brothers in the audit team granted me leaves during exam dates. Because of them I had the opportunity to appear in all exams.

Lets now talk about the exams. My Management & Marketing Management exam was very good. I’m sure that I will pass this course. But Financial accounting and Cost accounting exams were not that good. I answered near about 85 in financial accounting (IFA) and 70 in Cost accounting (COA). I’m confused about how my exams were. Though I answered 85 in IFA, I did not get the right answer in 2 maths. On the other hand, I answered 70 in COA where I am sure that all my answers are correct. But I’m not keeping my hopes up. In order to make sure that I don’t feel bad after bad result, I’m thinking that I will fail in this exam. But I don’t want to believe that I will fail. I’m actually hoping that I will pass at least 2 subject this time. If that happens, I will get admitted in next level (level 2).

Though December exams are over, I will have to sit in April 2013 exam. But now I have to focus on May-June 2013 exam of ICAB. My prime target is to be Chartered Accountant. Therefore I must be very serious about the exams of ICAB and be ready for the exam.  I want to be a professional accountant. Wish me luck!!!

Redwan