• Prospects for Accountants are good in Pakistan and overseas.
• There are many ways to becoming a professional accountant.
• You can follow the chartered accountancy route, do the ACCA programme or some other professional programmes such as CIMA or ICMAP.

The CA programme

• The CA programme is tough as it requires you to complete articles with a professional firm and study as well 
• During the articles, you receive a nominal allowance per month but are expected to work long hours and study as well
• The failure rate in CA programmes is very high, especially in the final modules
• Many people end up giving up or changing professions.

ACCA Programme

The ACCA is a UK qualification

Started in Pakistan some time back and has attracted a lot of young people due to the challenges of the CA programme

You have the option of getting a degree from a UK university as well by doing some additional study

The big CA firms prefer to stick with staff with the CA designation but may hire ACCAs up to a certain level only

The number of ACCAs has increased dramatically thus making it difficult to find suitable jobs for many graduates

CIMA / ACMA

With a growing demand for cost accountants, certifications like CIMA and ACMA have become integral part of the accountancy profession.

CIMA is a UK based professional qualification of management accountancy.

ACMA is a local cost and management accounting program and is most preferred by the government sector.

AQ Tips

The issue with the Accounting qualifications in Pakistan is that you don’t get to be a part of a formal university. You miss the entire university experience.

The qualifications are very technical and the students have no opportunity to develop their communication, presentation and other skills.

The Pakistani CA qualification is not recognised internationally except for the Middle East.

It may take a bit longer but go to a good university first and foremost!

You can then specialise and get a professional qualification. You may also get exemption of the first few exams of the professional qualifications depending on the university!