tarheelfan4ever wrote: Well, maybe those weren't his exact words, but his message was very clear: if you don't get into the Big 4, you won't become a controller or see 6 figures when I asked him about the best path to becoming a high level manager for a company (I'm thinking this is my end goal). When I asked him, "what if I like another public accounting firm more and I get a better work-life balance there". He repeats, "go to the big 4" and smiled. When I asked him, "what if I don't get in". He says, "that's too bad". I might be exaggerating a bit (again, he didn't exactly say this, but that was the message I got), but thoughts?

Oh please. I went to a well known Florida University and I ran into those types. They do that to break your spirit, although maybe not intentionally. I've been out of college for a little over 4 years but I've been in the accounting field for about 10 years. I'm a Controller now and I am loving every minute of it. My grades sucked in college due to medical illness but I have personality and I'm good at what I love to do. All I can say is even if you start at a medium sized firm, you still can do well in the salary department. You may not make six figures but heck, you may come close. I'm about 10 years away from six figures but I don't care. When you have a passion for accounting, the money isn't always your main motivation.