‘My dream is to set up my own audit firm abroad’

Ayushi is in the first-year of B.Com (Honours) Accounting & Finance with ACCA. Her father, Ashish Bhatia, is a Manager at Cosentus, a US firm offering outsourced solutions in Medical Billing, IT, Accounting, Recruiting, and Marketing, while her mother, Anju Bhatia, is a teacher at a private school. The 19-year-old says she picked the course to learn the required skills, knowledge and values to solve global business challenges. In a candid interview, Ayushi explains why she chose ASU, the career opportunities offered by pursuing B.Com (Honours) with ACCA, her future plans, and more. Edited excerpts:

What made you pick Apeejay?

It’s always been a dream of mine to work abroad, particularly in the UK, so after class 12, I did an extensive research to find out which course will give wings to my global dreams. I found that ASU, which is located not far from my home in Faridabad, offers a course in B.Com (Honours) Accounting & Finance with ACCA. I went to the college along with my parents and had an open discussion with Dr. Sunil Kumar Roy, Dean at School of Management Sciences (SOMS), on my strengths and future goals. That discussion cemented my resolve to get into ASU and the rest is history.

Tell us more about the course you are pursuing? It seems unique.

B.Com (Honours) Accounting & Finance with ACCA, course at ASU has been designed in collaboration with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA), UK and aims to provide specialised focus on Finance and Accounting areas and lends an opportunity for practising Chartered Accountancy, at the global level. To the uninitiated, ACCA is a global body for professional accountants with around 219,000 members and over 500,000 students in 179 countries. B.Com with ACCA is a 4 years undergraduate programme that has 6 ACCA papers integrated within the course. As a globally recognised course and updated industry relevant content, ACCA qualification is a great way to build a career in Accounts and Finance. Students can pursue this along with their graduation.

How is ACCA certification different from certification of Chartered Accountancy?

According to Indian law, it is not possible for an ACCA to pursue auditing or set up his own auditing firm in India. Similarly, if you aspire to work abroad, then ACCA becomes a compulsory qualification. ACCA India professionals can carry out auditing jobs in the UK, Australia, Singapore and Dubai, among other countries. An ACCA professional can also work as a management consultant, financial planner, and so on. ACCA course is also considered easier than Chartered Accountancy. Overall, the ACCA program is a faster and cheaper way for you to prepare for multiple roles and to open doors of multinational organisations.

What are your future plans?

I want to first work in the UK to gain real-world experience and comprehensive knowledge of the finance domain. My priority will be to learn the profession, sharpen my skills, and learn how to sell services to clients. My ultimate dream is to set up my own audit firm abroad. However, I am not thinking too far ahead right now. My primary focus is to do full justice to my course.