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Qasim Abbas, FCA Toronto, Canada No, my success is not shaped by my genes. My parents were from a poor family and not well educated. Due to our poor financial condition, up to secondary level, my father had arranged scholarship from Memon Educational Society, Karachi. In fact, the scholarship was from the charity money from community philanthropists. Later, I became member of that community and paid back the society so other needy students can continue their education and can have better life. I am still in touch with the society for this purpose. After my matriculation in 1956, due to poor financial conditions of my family, I could not study and had to opt for a clerical job at Rs. 100 per month in Landhi, Karachi. However, while on job, after wasting 4 years I joined evening Commerce College from 1956 to 1959. From Landhi to the city, to attend the evening college after duty, I always lost two important periods of Accounting. However, based on my firm determination and dictum ‘When there is a will, there is a way,’ I struggled very hard and devoted 18 hours a day and finally obtained a B. Com degree in second division in 1964. Then after two years, I decided to pursue my study further. I sacrificed half of my salary and joined a prominent audit firm in Karachi in 1966 and later enrolled with ICAP. I had also enrolled myself with ICMAP (then PIIA). Due to my firm determination and hard work, I became a chartered accountant in 1971 and cost & management accountant in 1975. In the final examination of ICMAP, I was awarded a Merit Certificate for obtaining the highest marks in Advanced Cost Accounting. After three degrees B. Com, CA, and CMA – I joined the government’s oil corporation in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where I served on a very senior managerial position and was able to get my five children educated at prestigious universities of USA up to Master level, and who are now very well settled in North America. The organisation also sponsored an Arabic language course at the ministry of Education’s institute and I managed a ‘Mumtaz’ (excellent) certificate. While in Abu Dhabi, I was the chairman of the Regional Committee in 1987 and president in 1994 of the Pakistan Chartered Accountants Club, Abu Dhabi, arranging professional activities for members, duly reported in ICAP Newsletter, Volume 16, No. 1 of January 1994. From 1983 to 1987, I was the acting honorary representative of ICMAP, arranging examination facilities at my office for UAE candidates which also served as information centre. In 1999, at 60, I voluntarily retired from my Abu Dhabi job, and joined my children in North America. Since last 18 years, I am enjoying my retired life in Canada by regularly contributing useful articles in North American publications in three languages. Since the last 12 years, I am a regular columnist of a non-Muslim Canadian publication, writing columns on Islam, Mirror of Islam, each week, which is strictly based on verses of the Holy Quran. Thus I’m spreading the words of Allah to non- Muslims through my regular column. My long journey from rags to rich, my life story, describing my firm determination and hard work, has been published in English, Urdu and Gujarati publications and online as well, where I have been described as a role model and pursuer of education and success. Rija Salim Mangroli, ACA Karachi It’s difficult to determine human potential or destiny from mere genetic tests, but it would be right to say that all inherited features or traits are resultants of genes. Success is not a by-product of gene interaction in your body but how well those genes inspire you and how well they create the environment to nurture you. I mean our parents. Parents are the moving genetic models who set the benchmarks for success and inspire us, motivate us and push us to strive for success. People whose parents are successful either as employees or as businessmen/women, have greater chance to have prestigious careers, make more money and live luxuriously. We may inherit the IQ and brainstorming skills from parents but unless a favoured environment is created to polish them equally with self-control, interpersonal skills and confidence, we cannot lead on to the path of success. I speak from personal experience. Being raised by two successful doctors, I have always aspired to be somebody, achieve certain goals in life, and excel the standard necessary for being a successful person. Given the right motivation, inspiration and belief in myself from my parents, I was able to set off in the right path. Just a few more years in my career, I see myself becoming the person my genes demand. So, it can be rightly said that genes alone is an unreliable predictor of someone’s ability to succeed, equal consideration has to be placed on environment to evolve and mature them further. April-June 2017 The Pakistan Accountant 47