Photo Credit: depts.washington.edu
For some people, their career path is carved out before they have even begun to study. For others, the future is not quite as clear. The reality is that not every newly-qualified CA(SA) knows all of the options open to them when they have completed their studies and passed all the exams. So, here’s a quick rundown of the areas and options that qualified persons have to explore.
A little guidance never goes amiss when it comes to deciding the path your financial career will take, especially as you have a lot of options as a CA(SA), such as:
Accounting
Stockbroking
Financial Management
Investment Banking
Fund Management
Corporate Finance
Business Management
Entrepreneurship
Education
Academia
Government
Tax Consulting
Auditing
Financial Reporting
Management Consulting
…and the list goes on. SAICA’s nowiCAn website (if you haven’t explored it already) offers help and support to CA(SA)s so be sure to take a look.
So how do you know where you want to go?
Review yourself – It’s a good idea, if you’re unsure of the path you want to take, to do a self-appraisal of your skillset. Assess your experience, you weaknesses and your strengths. Review your achievements to date and remind yourself of which sections of study you enjoyed the most. Try to pick out any trends during this analysis that will help you to select the areas that most appeal. It’s important to do this in order to make sure that you tailor your CV toward the jobs that you really want.
The CA(SA) qualification opens up a huge number of doors and career paths to fantastic positions within companies. Over 30% of the Chief Execs of the 200 biggest South African companies have the CA(SA) qualification AND 82% of the CFOs in those same 200 companies are CA(SA) qualified. Choosing the right path for your financial career is a process that takes time and preparation. It’s OK to not be 100% sure of where you want to go. Sometimes, a little trial and error is required to really find out if a role is right for you. Look out for short-term contracts that will give you an idea of what it is like to work within that specific field.
Be sure to check out the latest jobs that Contract Accountants has to offer here. Make sure you register your CV with us, too!