Chartered accountants in the family

MIKAILEN Naidoo has been fascinated by numbers since primary school.

The 20-year-old was one of the youngest top achievers in his class to graduate summa cum laude with a BCom in accounting at UKZN.

Naidoo, of Tongaat, said his aunt, Nisha, and a few members of his extended family were chartered accountants.

“I guess it runs in the family and they have inspired me to pursue a career in this field as they are very well-off in life,” he said.

Naidoo said he chose this career because accountants were in high demand.

“This includes doing the books, auditing or managing the finances of the company.

“You can never run out of a job in this field.”

But the journey to graduating was a challenge.

He said there was a lot of online work and the workload became more advanced.

"What helped was adjusting to change. I realised that hard work does pay off.

“My family were supportive and they are proud of my results.”

Naidoo will next pursue a post-graduation qualification.

After gaining the required technical knowledge, he needs to gain practical experience before writing the board exams and qualifying as a chartered accountant.

“The aim is to be a chartered accountant by 2025."

Naidoo said if everything went well and once he qualified as a chartered accountant, he hoped to work for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (Cima) because he enjoyed being part of other people’s academic journeys.

The Cima is a global professional management accounting body which operates in the UK.

It offers training and qualification in management accountancy and related subjects.

The Cima is focused on accountants working in the industry and providing ongoing support and training for members.

Naidoo said pupils who were contemplating pursuing similar studies, must enjoy accounting and have a passion for it.

“Take everything one step at a time if you are in the accounting field. During your studies allow yourself to take a break and relax. Do not make everything about work all the time because the workload in accounting can be very demanding.”