From Accounting Intern to High-Paying Finance Roles — What’s the Real Career Path?
I’m trying to understand the long-term career path from accounting into higher-paying finance roles.
Right now I’m learning:
- Tally Prime
- Excel
- Basic accounting
I may also join a CA office as an intern soon.
My main question is: how do people actually grow from basic accountant work into good finance jobs with strong salaries?
For example:
- What skills should I build over the next 2–4 years?
- Which roles can I realistically move into from accounting?
- Is Advanced Excel + GST + TDS enough to start?
- Should I later learn Financial Modeling, Power BI, SAP, SQL, or anything else?
- What certifications/courses are actually useful in India and not just marketing hype?
I’m not looking for motivational answers. I want realistic career progression advice from people who started in accounting or worked in finance.
Also:
- What salary growth is realistic?
- Which finance roles have good growth without doing CA/CFA?
- What mistakes keep accountants stuck at low salaries for years?