Mangaluru: Uncertainty dogged me as I approached my 10th Boards. But first things first. Clearing the Board Exams are a priority but at the back of my mind is what next? Which stream do I choose? What is the right path for me? Okay, I have flair for numbers, I have been told so by my parents, teachers, friends, and peers. So, Commerce it is. But is a commerce degree enough for success in this increasingly competitive and complex world? That is a doubt I would like to address quickly to get a hold on my future.
And that is when I come across CFO NeXt. How? By word of mouth. A friend told me about this academic firm headquartered in Bengaluru with branches in Mangalore and Hyderabad that is a gold approved authorized learning partner of ACCA (UK) that provides high-quality training in financial and accounting programs for courses such as ACCA, CMA, CFA, CPA, along with several other international accounting certifications. This I thought was right up my alley!
So, the logical person that I am, I did a background check! And this is what I found!
– CFO NeXt enables a Commerce student to become a thorough finance professional and caters to the challenges faced by the students in their professional journey of becoming finance professional – and this is something I was really looking out for.
– It offers a hybrid learning system with a combination of both online and offline learning systems and that suits me just fine.
– It also goes beyond providing learning on core skills but builds my value for a competitive job market by offering soft skills training too, and for me this is a bonus….
– At this stage of my life’s journey, CFO NeXt offers just what I want.
– Professional foundation program in Accountancy and Finance from ACCA UK (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) which can lead me to a full-fledged ACCA degree simultaneously with my B.Com. This way I will have two degrees and be high on the employability rankings!
– A short run course of MS Office to enhance my computer literacy for the actual world…
– A short run course on Communication skills both verbal and written.
– A short run course on the widely used Tally ERP accounting package.
– Additionally, it has a wonderful reputation across the country and even abroad and that is a big plus in my book!
CFO NeXt according to my research, was founded in the year 2017 by Jai Goel, to form a group of finance professionals who could offer professional accountancy services to corporates in all sectors. It has been focusing on the development of careers for students and professionals. The main aim of CFO NeXt according to its founders, “is to get the CFO’s of tomorrow and hence we named the company as CFO NeXt”. The Company also trains professionals and has recently worked with the company HP, developing financial and management skills related to the working of IFRS.
I decided to speak to the company itself to find out more. I contacted Don Andrew D’Souza, a member of the marketing team, and asked to him to explain how their program works. This is what he told me. “The program mainly focuses on the foundational level of skills in finance and accounting, which enables a student to make career-based decisions conveniently. As of now, around 1500 students have taken this qualification in the Mangalore region. I feel this generation needs something new.”
“So, colleges should embark on new things, giving students more options and that’s why we are encouraging institutional partnerships. This institutional partnership ensures that institution’s students have enhanced career prospects when they complete their degrees with a professional certificate of high quality”, he added. This was comforting information for me.
I find that CFO NeXt has already partnered with reputed institutions such as Alva’s, Milagres, Vikas, and MAPS in Mangalore, to provide their students with varied skills required to ace the business world. The intake in institutions is a minimum of 40 students per batch and of course the requisite teaching and learning infrastructure.
An insight to ACCA and CMA
I did some further research on where I am headed and the choices I need to make as I run along my chosen path. I had two options in my mind to pursue in parallel to my B.Com Degree – the ACCA and the CMA
A comprehensive program founded in 1904, ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is a program that deals with the study of the finance domain, along with technical and management aspects of finance.
With an excellent global presence in the UK, a person with an ACCA certificate is recognized as one of the best accountants in the world. That means the world’s renowned companies will prefer ACCA more than anyone in the accounting sector.
Pursuing this degree means one will master subjects such as Financial Accounting, and Business Analysis and the degree itself will open job opportunities at Accounting and Financial Services firms.
On the other hand, CMA (Certified Management Accountant), being one of the major management accounting courses, has great demand all over the world. Popular in the USA, it marks its presence in over 100 countries.
It is affiliated to the ICMA (Institute of Management Accountants) providing job opportunities as a Financial Accountant / Management Consultant.
The ACCA has 4 levels whereas CMA has one with the duration of each exam varying from 2-4 hours. It has 256,000 members and 680,000 students in 186 countries, and helps them develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills needed by employers. They work through a network of 93 offices and centre’s and more than 8,500 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development.
On the other hand, CMA has produced only 40,000 members with a global presence over 100 countries.
Knowledge is power and I now have the power to make a choice.
But what Don D’Souza told me next, clinched it for me….” Progress is a mantra that we strongly believe in CFO NeXt. Your progress. Today, you might come across a lot of people who provide education, but this education is tinged with a purely commercial motive. We believe in stringent education, also taking individual care of the student, monitoring even the hours of sleep he gets”.
That was like music to my ears. I made up my mind to join CFO NeXt and indeed it recommend it to my classmates and friends!
