Chartered Accountant is an appellation, per se rendered to an accounting professional who has earned for himself a certification from a statutory body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) being the sole statutory body in India that was established in 1949 under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and the ICAI has been conducting the most prestigious albeit arduous CA exams since then wherein the institute certifies a candidate as a qualified Chartered Accountant on successful completion of all the three levels that this eclectic course comprises of, along with the rigorous and gruelling three years of training and today we shall be succinctly talking about its initial level i.e. the CA Foundation exam, which has replaced the erstwhile Common Proficiency Test (CPT) since 1st July, 2017.
But prior to that, the question which would first strike our naive minds is that why as students, we must take upon this onerous and exigent profession and hence if one may talk about some of the attractive and umpteen opportunities that knocks the door for a CA professional, you would be amazed to know that in recent times, the demand for qualified and bright Chartered Accountants has increased manifolds. India alone scouts for around 7500 to 10000 CAs every year, with the numbers only rising constantly.
Almost all the industries and innumerable business organizations, both in India and also overseas have a mandatory need of a CA professional for handling their expansive accounting department.
A CA can hence work as an employee in a firm or can even choose to have his own independent practice, with boundless growth in his professional life.
If employed in a firm, a chartered accountant plays an indispensable and a critical role in several multidisciplinary domains such as internal auditing, forensic audit, statutory audit, taxation advisory, financial reporting, banking and several services alike but on the contrary, if a CA professional desires to work independently, he can even do so in several wide-ranging and multifarious sectors such as a CA can be his own boss and can have his consultancy business as he is competent to render his advisory services to his clients, that may include both companies and also individuals, he can also provide independent auditing services to his clients. A Chartered Accountant is absolutely adept with the labyrinth stock market and he can easily get a firm grip over its nitty-gritty intricacies wherefrom a CA can expect immeasurable returns and also, if a CA has the conviction to nurture young, budding minds, in that case, he can even embark on a noble profession of teaching and imparting his invaluable knowledge to his pupils, which is a profession that is not only tremendously gratifying but in today's day and age, it is also considered as a remunerative and a rewarding venture.
It is therefore evident that there are no dearth of opportunities for a qualified and knowledgeable Chartered Accountant however the journey for becoming an accomplished CA is not a cakewalk, per se. It requires strenuous efforts by the student along with the right motivation and guidance from his teachers but however we shall now elucidate the three eclectic and taxing levels that a student must clear so as to don the hat of a highly learned CA professional.

It is evident that there is no dearth of opportunities for a qualified and knowledgeable Chartered Accountant however the journey for becoming an accomplished CA is not a cakewalk, per se. It requires strenuous efforts by the student along with the right motivation and guidance from his teachers but however we shall now elucidate the three eclectic and taxing levels that a student must clear so as to don the hat of a highly learned CA professional. The three levels are as follows -
CA Foundation
CA Intermediate
CA Final