Into and plea for guidance
Hello everyone.
I'm a rising junior at Penn State in desperate need of ideas to get me out from the hole I have dug for myself. I am an accounting major and currently have a 3.33 GPA, some level of involvement (social fraternity positions, community service, some clubs), and a big fear I am screwing myself big time. Until now I was planning on joining the big4 or a national firm but I realize that even that isn't a given.
I have never worked for anything really and I desperately want to change that. I want to pick a goal that is reasonable and achievable considering my shitty resume right now while still shooting extremely high. Aside from raising my GPA (I understand I need a 4.0 from here on out) and getting more involved in leadership positions (I plan on being exec board for my fraternity and leading/founding an on-campus club), what can I do? I've been fed that getting a 3.4 and an ehh job out of college is fine for me and now I realize that's bullshit.
Overall I am hoping for advice from someone on here about what is still possible and any small tips you guys may have. Resigning myself to audit at some firm is a bleak outlook and I want to work and achieve something better.
Go ROTC or screen for OCS, excellent pay, benefits and a phenomenal retirement. You will more than likely make more than most people who get into IB or other power careers.
The above is interesting advice. I would have never thought of it - kudos @archervice .GPA is not everything. a 3.4 GPA is far from disastrous. Are you learning a lot and liking what you study? Are you liking your extracurricular activities and making good friends? All of this is super important because it shapes you as a candidate and as a person (the latter is most important). Can you get some sort of summer internship (even if offering to do so for free)? Or travel somewhere exotic to volunteer/teach/travel/do something? Penn State might even fund it (look into that - there is usually a scholarship office somewhere).
Interested in some career paths in IB/PE/ER etc etc etc? Look up some of the boards here and if you have questions after reading a thread, ask a person via PM. If if you are interested in Asia-Pacific PE/VC and some HFs out here just in general, I am happy to be a resource since I am in the consulting/FoF world and see a bunch of this stuff and have been happy to offer that to some folks (my somewhat biased view at least).
If you want to really work for something, explore, see more things, learn about yourself and the world, and maybe get credit for it, why not try a study abroad? Like something hard. Like Chinese or something like that. Find some university program in a city that's not named Beijing or Shanghai (the former can be a challenge in itself but pretty easy once figured out), and study for 3 months over the summer. You might get some college credit, it might be cheaper and you can use the extra time the next semester to do something else (leadership, activity etc). Plus you'll have parachuted yourself into a foreign place where no one speaks English, everyone thinks differently from you and getting a meal will be a challenge (unless you stick to McDs), as will making some friends, actually learning the language, studying, etc.
Chinese is just an example that came to my head since I kind of did that but you could name any random country instead.
Yes I realize it is halfway through the summer, but you could do it even as a rising senior. I did it and it was one of the catalysts for me to move out to Asia after school. Good Luck.
Definitely an interesting idea @ArcherVice , and one I never thought of. I'll look more into the OCS program certainly. Do you have any experience with it (how selective, what employers think)? Thanks Dutchess.
@Jamoldo, I certainly love what I'm learning and my college experience in general. I have a great group of friends and really feel I am growing as an individual. I have a pretty good summer job working at my school district in IT, good hours but only 8$/hour. It's my 2nd year at the job but I definitely am not learning anything useful. As for going abroad I will definitely explore that option, especially if I can do it cheaply and get a great experience. It sounds like a unique way to break out of the Accounting path which is getting less and less attractive to me.
Non delectus et non facilis nam dolorem sunt eius. Ab quidem sed harum suscipit. Qui sit omnis qui cum ex reiciendis.
Ut architecto accusantium earum eius occaecati voluptatem aut. Cum soluta maiores voluptatem in cumque. Doloremque pariatur eveniet at temporibus incidunt neque fuga iure. Ipsa accusantium aut nihil. Iusto alias ea quos sequi aspernatur itaque.
Eligendi enim eos ea ab ut commodi. Aperiam officiis ex dolores culpa voluptatem deleniti nam. Odio animi vel eos molestiae. Sed voluptas unde et nihil.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...