Last week, Bilal Ahmed’s home in Bandra’s Bharat Nagar was bustling, with people streaming in to congratulate him. The 24-year-old milkman had accomplished his dream with a tremendous feat. He had cleared all the levels of CA exams in his very first attempt, something a very few candidates achieve. 

For Ahmed, who worked six-seven hours a day to support his father Shoukat Ali, time management was the biggest challenge, besides the financial hardships. Yet, he was determined, and now, his next target is the Big Four—the world’s top multinational accounting firms. He will apply for CA Articleship (internship) at Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG).