Learn how you can Unlock Limitless Customer Lifetime Value with CleverTap’s All-in-One Customer Engagement Platform.
Ronak Chawda, our very own Manager- Finance, shares his experience about how challenging yourself against whatever odds you face and being consistent and determined can help you achieve what you aim for.
I was born into a lower middle-class family. My parents ran a small business, and as a child, financially, my life was a roller coaster of ups and downs. Academics was never a particularly important part of our lives in my family. Instead, we grew up constantly seeing and hearing how survival was more important than intellectual achievement. Fortunately my parents thought differently and encouraged us to study and instilled in us the value of education. As a result, my brother and I are the first generation professionals in our entire family.
As I grew up and undertook different things, I began to understand that if I wanted to achieve any goal, I must be very disciplined. I believe in setting goals and being disciplined in pursuing them, and I have followed this all my life. When I decided to pursue Chartered Accountancy (CA), I knew it would require immense discipline and hard work, along with self-motivation — and I was prepared to meet this challenge. Regardless of the obstacles, I was unwilling to give up.
While pursuing my studies, I had to step up and take on greater financial responsibilities at home. In college we were a group of 10 friends who started pursuing CA, but only four of us were ultimately able to achieve success. This made me realize that while different people may have similar goals, our journeys are still very different.
One of the reasons for pursuing CA was because at that time, the course did not have such a huge impact on my expenses compared to other professional courses. My mother used to always say, “Never miss an opportunity,” and this taught me that every opportunity needs to be embraced with both hands and with gratitude. I appeared for my CA Final Group examination in the month of November 2020. Before the results came in, I got a job opportunity in a company undergoing merger & acquisition.
The experience was enriching, but I wasn’t able to take my second group exam immediately. Instead, I took a gap year and cleared my second group in November 2022. A lot of people weren’t happy about my decision, but I’m glad I took a chance and continued to believe in myself.
Today, I am in a good position and happy with my choices in life. My job with my then-organisation was going good but reached a standstill, and there came a point where I felt uninspired and directionless. So, I fought back and began studying and completed my qualification. Looking back at the past four years, I truly believe that hands-on experience is more valuable than any degree. My work has also taught me to take ownership of the work & accountability for my actions. This learning of mine has always rewarded me well.
As for my personal life, back in 2021, I was in a relationship for eight years. When my partner spoke to her family about our relationship, her parents were skeptical because they believed I lacked financial stability, which I have to admit was partly true at that time. This was one of the reasons I decided to take up a job rather than continuing with getting my qualification done, but even then, eventually, they declined to support our relationship.
I was shattered by this but that did not prevent me from focusing on my goals. I worked hard and devoted all my energy to my ongoing job alongside preparing for CA final 2nd group exams. Right after completing my course, I got promoted to Manager Finance in my then organisation. I focused on the positives and it paid off. At this point, I could confidently assert that the issue of financial stability has been effectively resolved. Finally, my partner and I reconciled with both of our parents’ blessings. Now we are a decade old and happily engaged to each other.
My journey with CleverTap is fairly new, but nevertheless the environment has been so positive. Everyone is so encouraging and transparent here. I truly believe I am in the right place at the moment, and I believe I can be a valuable contributor to CleverTap’s growth and success.
