CPAnet Forum: Non Big 4 Aspirations

Active Topics

Memberlist

Help

Big 4 Talk
CPAnet Forum : Big 4 Talk

Topic: Non Big 4 Aspirations (

Topic Closed)

Author

Message

<< Prev Topic | Next Topic >>

bird
Regular
Regular

Joined: 22 Aug 2009
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 208

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 at 11:44 \| IP Logged

search for other threads on this site where i've talked about this issue. don't have time to re-write everything.

if you are serious about your career (which will span 40+ years), want to give yourself the most options down the road and want to be eligible for the best jobs in accounting/finance that specifically require big 4 experience, you should absolutely choose to begin your career in the big 4 if you have the chance.

unless you have personal connections or a stellar network, it will be very difficult for you to get a job over someone with a similar background who has big 4 experience. Ex-big 4 people dominate the accounting/finance landscape in industry. F500 accounting/finance departments are filled with big 4 alumni. to think that by way of your own hard work and dedication you can get ahead in life is a little ignorant. there will always be exceptions to the rule and unique cases, but nepotism and elitism exists in this world. prestige matters, so unless you plan on working for the same company for your entire career, it would be wise to get the big 4 on your resume so that you can even be considered for interviews at the best jobs.

trust me, working in the big 4 is not fun, although outside of busy season i absolutely have no reason to complain about my hours so not sure why people think we work like "slaves". my point is, despite the various negative aspects of working in a big 4 firm, the long-term benefits far exceed them.

Rdetermined
Newbie
Newbie

Joined: 17 Jul 2011
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 at 12:27 \| IP Logged

hey bird, what you are saying is very, very
true. Then again remember not everyone gets
to the big 4 so it's not like one aspires and
gets in. Iam pretty sure mostly everyone
agrees that getting a job at the big 4 is great.
Whoever doesn't say so is because they find
that working long hours is tough, but then
again you're working in a good place. I think
you're right there is eliism that happens but
well not everyone makes it through. I'll look
for the thread you mentioned if you happen to
know the title of it, i would appreciate it

__________________
RAB

azurik12x
Newbie
Newbie

Joined: 13 Jul 2011
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5

Posted: 21 Jul 2011 at 13:45 \| IP Logged

Those statistics were just for my school, a top 10 MAcc program. As far
as the importance of a MAcc goes, it does look better and can definitely
help with Big 4 recruiting if it is from a top 25 MAcc school. However, I do
know some people at my undergraduate institution who stayed an extra
two semesters and took random history classes to get to their 150 hours
and were able to get recruited by the Big 4. Also, the Macc can help you
with passing the exam as the courses will cover many advanced topics
that are not typically covered in undergrad.

Rdetermined
Newbie
Newbie

Joined: 17 Jul 2011
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 at 04:01 \| IP Logged

hey azurik, were your friends pretty talented
with good gpa's or they were normal
students? You mentioned them taking extra
classes which i believe is for the cpa exam.
Did they have to take the test if they wanted
a job at the big 4? Finally, 2 more q's here.
How good of a shot does it occur that
someone who attrnds an macc from just a
medium ranked school perhaps a state school
with a gpa of 2.5-3.0 scale to get into mid
size firms not the big 4? The other question
regards to ''recruiting''. Is this recruiting just
a process or have your friends gotten into the
big 4 without a cpa license?

__________________
RAB

db729
Major Contributor

Joined: 22 Apr 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 256

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 at 04:09 \| IP Logged

Rdetermined wrote:

Here is a question I would like to ask both you as well in particular db729. On an earlier post you mentioned perseverance and if someone wants it he/she can get it no matter the challenge. But oright we know the job market is tough as it is, what happens to all these hungry people who don't have that great GPA's, who didn't come from good business schools and are on the most part beaten out by these talented individuals? What if he/she didn't get into the Big 4, the mid sized firms you mentioned, fidelity, bank of america, etc? It hasn't happened to me if you may ask because I haven't applied, but I am curious to know if you might know any answer or input on the issue.

Rdetermined, you're right in that not everyone will get into Big 4 just because they work hard and want it. And I'm not saying just because someone perseveres and really want something, he/she will always get it. What I am saying is that your career is more a marathon than a sprint. There are people that always figure out ways to create opportunities for themselves and find success. Not every partner in the Big 4 came from Big 4 roots. Not every CFO of a F500 came from a Big 4. Not every CEO came from Mckinsey/Bain/BCG. Not every MD at Goldman Sachs came from an Ivy League undergrad with a M7 MBA. Undoubtedly, having certain names on your resume will always make life a little easier, but nothing is guaranteed. My point is that it's really hard for any of us to say what exactly will happen to someone that doesn't get into Big 4 right out of school because there are so many variables. But we can say that there are successful people from all backgrounds, and not getting into Big 4 will not preclude you from being successful.

Now if you want specific success stories, I can tell you that

1. I didn't have a single interview with the Big 4 during summer internships. I still ended up with a FT offer and everyone knows interns fill up majority of the FT spots. Hell my year for FT recruiting was the worst year for hiring. The job market right now is better than 08 and 09 for sure.
2. I personally know employees at all levels in my firm that didn't start off Big 4 coming out of undergrad or MAcc, including at the partner level. Only exception being the new associate level because you can't lateral to a Big 4 without at least 1 year of experience.
3. All Big 4 firms went on a massive hiring spree for experienced associates and seniors from non Big 4 firms. The "experienced" hires that I've worked with have done quite well in establishing a name for themselves and are honestly quite good at what they do.
4. I know people that went into industry out of undergrad, went back to get their MAcc and got a Big 4 position after.

Rdetermined, at the end of the day, your life isn't defined by one single event. It's never easy to fail at something when you really wanted to succeed, but life will always moves on.

<< Prev Page of 5 Next >>

Printable version

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum