Chartered Accountancy ( CA ) and Company Secretary (CS) are two most popular career options for Commerce Students Both CA and CS works with logic, statistics and Accounting you can find slight differences in their roles and responsibilities.

CA  vs CS What is the difference?

CA focuses primarily on the Accounting, Auditing, Management Accounting, Taxation and consulting concepts Where as CS focuses on Corporate laws, Advisory and Secretarial roles, Strategic management and Planning.

The CA role now a days is evolving purely on Accounting and Auditing Perspective where he advises, protects and top management of the company as a Business Advisor that enhances the profitability through ethical means . Where as CS advises the senior management as a in-house legal advisor on various Corporate laws and regulatory compliance of the company.

Similarities between CA and CS

As far as similarities between the courses The Syllabus of CS includes certain parts of Accounting and Record Keeping  Concepts while CA also studies some part of Company law. The combination of CA and CS takes career of professional in to new heights. The Profession of CA is governed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) while CS is governed by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).

Both courses are well suited for Commerce students and based on the interest the specific course is taken as choice. If your interest lies in Accounting, Taxation and Auditing CA should be the right fit and If your interest lies in  Corporate Law and Interpretation then CS will be the right choice.

The Duration of CA is 5 years where as CS is for 3 years. Compared to CA, CS is easy to crack but the scope of the career is limited . You can work on diverse roles like Management, Taxation, International Trade and finance in CS as it is a vital link between the company and Board of directors, Stake holders, regulatory authorities and government.CS also uses latest technology advancements like Software Copyright and licensing, Cyber laws compliance...

The role of CA is also diversified and Technology enabled as it is involving more with Latest Technology trends like Artificial Intelligence, Block Chain, Machine Learning , Bots etc... Now a days you can see more technology integrations in accounting, Auditing, Taxation, Compliance and Litigation Practice of CA Profession which enables a great scope to enter into Data Analytics and Cyber Security.

The learning prospects never end for both CA and CS. You can opt for an LLB or PhD.or else you can pursue specialization in International Trade laws, Taxation, Insolvency, Valuation and Bankruptcy. The Job prospects for CA is higher and it has good pay scales compared to CS. CA's have authority to argue cases with clients like a lawyer, where as CS has no flexibility to argue with clients. 

There is a great scope for employment for CS too  Every company with a paid share capital of Rs 2 Crore or above can appoint a CS for smooth functioning of the company and so the employment scope is expansive