Ahmedabad: Manoj Patel’s 2pm-11pm supermarket shift jangles with cash registers, but this 18-year-old’s All-India Rank (AIR) 9 in the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) exam has put him in life’s new express lane.Patel lives in Kalol, near Gandhinagar, and reaches home from work around midnight. He did not dwell on the work hours as he prepared for ICMAI’s foundation exam.His father is a cook at a canteen in Gandhinagar, and his mother is a homemaker. His younger brother has mental health issues.The family shifted to Kalol after over a decade in Surat.“My family traces its roots to Rajasthan. But Gujarat has been our home for a generation now,” Patel said. “My score put me in the 87.57th percentile in Class 10 and the 99.34th percentile in Class 12.”Patel said, “I was always interested in chartered accountancy, but my family needed financial support.”So, he enrolled in the BCom course as an external candidate.One of his classmates at Swaminarayan Gurukul in Kalol suggested that Cost Management Accounting (CMA) was a good career option.“I concluded that my abilities would help me complete the course,” he said. “The course also aligned with my overall goal and working schedule.”Patel scored 364 marks out of 400. The results were announced earlier this month.At the supermarket, Patel’s job includes stocktaking and stacking goods. “I need the job as it funds my education,” he said. “I want to score well in the next few years and ensure that I land a good job in the corporate world. I want to support my family while excelling in my profession.”In the morning, Patel browses through his notes and prepares for both his first-year B.Com course and the next CMA exam. “I study on my own and seek the help of my friends and well-wishers,” he added.
