Rising Senior Looking for Advice
Hey guys, long time reader, first time poster,
I have enjoyed reading this site and find a lot of the information really on-point and informative. I finally decided to create an account and shoot some questions to the board, so any help you guys could offer would be great.
I just received a full-time offer as a tax associate in a Big4 accounting firm after my internship concluded. While this is great and I am happy to be in this position, being a double-major in accounting and finance, I am not so sure that this is the road I want to go down. I really like finance and I feel that if I go down this road I will completely be blowing my future chances in finance-related fields out of the water. What do you guys think? Additionally, while the salary is good, the overall compensation can not compare to most finance jobs, and the upside simply isn’t there. Please correct me if I am wrong. I am also interested to know more details about the pay scale in big 4 tax as you move up, but I am pretty sure its not much until you hit partner, and I am not sure I want to do that since that would basically mean I would be a life-time accountant. I would really like to go through fall recruiting and try to land a solid finance job, but I am not sure what will be available in this tumultuous market. I am greatly interested in real estate type ibanking and some of those boutiques so it does not need to be a bulge bracket. What do you think the prospects of landing this type of job are in this market, and are there any specific firms I should consider?
Sorry for being so longwinded, but I have a lot of questions on this and not many answers. Thanks again.





I have a family member that
I have a family member that works at one of the Big 4, and he told me that you can get paid very well and move up to partner pretty quickly as long as you're willing to relocate and "put out fires"...
Nonetheless, I'd take a finance job over an accounting job any day lol.
The Jist
1. If you're from a target:
-network with some of the alumni who are in banking. Get their take on the whole process
-make sure your resume is awesome
-make sure your story makes sense
-apply to as many places as you can. Do not rule out MM firms, including regional ones. Not just the big players.
2. If you're not from a target:
-network with EVERYONE. Without networking, you will not find the job you are looking for. Get on the phone in the morning, and do not get off it till the day is over
-make sure your resume is awesome and you've done the right things: high GPA, something interesting, your internships scream finance, etc.
-make sure your story makes perfect sense
-apply to as many places as you can, and make sure you've made it clear to the alumni that are in banking (you should focus on them) that you want to work hard. They will go to bat for you more often than not, because they were in your shoes and for them, it's valuable to have successful, driven people in the banks with them.
Good luck.