Anna-Rosa’s Road To Becoming A Chartered Accountant

AT 24 years old, Anna-Rosa Naanda is well on her way to becoming one of the youngest chartered accountants in the country. Naanda took YouthPaper through the journey of her life so far, emphasising the importance of hard work on her quest for success.

My name is Anna-Rosa Ndeapo Naanda. I am a young professional who recently completed my articles at Ernst & Young Namibia and I am currently working for the firm as an assistant manager in audit. I was raised in a big, Christian family where discipline, hard work and respect for others were entrenched in me from an early age. My characteristics include being honest, diligent and always being helpful when and wherever I can be of assistance. I can also be described as a person who is a very hard worker, fun-loving and at the same time having the ability to multi-task.

I went to Jan MÖhr Secondary School from 2005 to 2009. I wasn’t always an achiever. I never really pushed myself in high school, but looking back, I realise I could’ve done a lot better. After high school, I went to Rhodes University. I obtained my first degree in 2012, at 20 years old, and by 21, I was doing my Honours degree which I obtained in 2013.

I did a bachelor in accounting (CA route), and then a postgraduate diploma in accountancy (also known as CTA). This is the path that enables one to become a CA. Not only did I have a passion for accounting in high school, I also wanted to go into a profession that opens the door to a vast range of exciting career opportunities in every sector of business and finance, both in Namibia and internationally. Another reason I chose the profession is due to the shortage of CAs in the country. I remember reading an article in high school that mentioned that it would take Namibia between 20 to 40 years to cover the skills shortage gap at the current rate of growth in the accounting field, and that some serious measures have to be taken through training and qualifying more local accountants. I wanted to do my part in contributing to the number of CAs in the country.

Yes, definitely. Like most people, I wanted to be everything from a doctor, to a hairdresser to a teacher when I was a child but by age 14, I knew I wanted to do something in the accounting field (probably because it came naturally to me). By 16, I had done all my research and concluded that a CA is what I wanted to be. I believe I’m incredibly blessed to have found my passion at such a young age.

Yes. The life of an accounting student is a far cry from the non-stop parties and skipped lectures that most people expect university to be. However, from my very first year, I have always had a lot to juggle as I studied my way to this rewarding career. During my third year at university, I wasn’t doing too great in my tests and I slowly realised that I had to give up a lot if I really wanted this. The biggest challenge for me though was during my second year of work when I struggled to find a balance between work (a lot of deadlines), preparations for my final board examination, family life as well as a moderate social life.

All you need is good grades overall in high school and maths and English as subjects. If you’re interested in or can afford to study at a university South Africa, you’ll need at least four subjects on higher level (including maths and English). Character wise, you need to be a critical and analytical thinker, have integrity, be hardworking, proactive, resilient, etc.

It was long. And difficult. A lot more difficult than I had anticipated, but rightfully so. The designation of a CA is one of the most prestigious designations in the world. It’s thus not easy to become a CA, considering the difficult courses and examinations that one is supposed to undergo.

The journey towards a CA professional qualification includes three major steps. These are: Obtaining the necessary university qualifications, completing trainee articles and the completion of two final professional examinations. It’s not a very easy profession.

I’m not technically a chartered accountant yet. I’m not allowed to call myself one until I’ve been formally registered with the governing body (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia and/or South African Institute of Chartered Accountants). At this stage, it’s just a lot of admin left (filling in of application forms etc), but I should be able to call myself one in a few weeks. It’s a great feeling, I guess. I’ve kind of always known that I’d be one of the youngest because I started school at age five, and was fortunate enough not to have repeated any years since Grade 1 all the way up to completing my honours degree. My family remind me all the time, but I don’t like to think about it too much. It’s an amazing feeling, though.

A lot of financial support from my family, blood, sweat, tears and sleepless nights. In other words, hard work, hard work and more hard work.

Throughout the last seven years, I have had the pleasure of having mentors who have helped guide me to fully realise who I am professionally and what I can accomplish. My parents, aunts, uncle and grandparents have been the constant mentors in my life. I have been fortunate to grow up in a very humble and educated family that constantly embedded the importance of hard work and education into us. My managers and partners at Ernst & Young have also played a big role in my mentorship. Right now, my official mentor is a top executive from an investment firm, who I believe I can learn a lot from, professionally and otherwise.

I am self-motivated and a very results-driven person. Doing a good job and achieving the desired end result has always been my primary motivation. Also, knowing how hard my family has worked to get me through school has always been something that has driven me to push harder.

If you love accounting and want to pursue a qualification in the field, consider going the whole way and becoming a chartered accountant. No other career offers the mobility and opens as many doors as a chartered accountancy qualification does. Do your research (which includes taking part in the open/career days offered by the various audit firms), study hard and kill it. The world is at your fingertips.