Hey Monkeys. I'm having a bit of career choice apprehension and I just wanted to soundboard off of you all. Last month I just started a gig at a Big 4 accounting firm doing tax. The job is ... okay, but since my last year in school I've been trying to find something that would 1) be a little more interesting career-wise, and 2) that I can actually feel satisfied to have achieved. After finding this site two years ago I've bounced around the idea of doing I-banking, private equity, equity research, and everything else in-between. The firm I work for now has a decent consulting arm (the big "D"), and after doing some research, I think consulting would probably be the best "fit" for me and my particular skill-set, as well as being 10x more interesting than what I do now. So, like any good career-minded person, I've been planning ahead. My goal is to switch offices in about a year (the one I'm in doesn't have consultants in it), and try and network my way over. If not, probably a decent B-school in 3-4 years to try and make the transition.
... and yet, even as I plot my next transition, I keep on getting this anxious feeling every time I think about it. On the one hand the job I have isn't bad. The hours are mild compared to I-banking and probably consulting. The overall pay, while not up to Wall Street standards, is decent compared to what most other college grads are making. The job is steady, almost guaranteed pay raises/bonuses as long as I don't fuck up, good benefits. It's the type of job that a person can build a life around, maybe have a hobby or start a family and all that shit.
... and yet, the thought of not shooting for the best that I can be keeps holding me back from saying, "fuck it, stick with the cushy and stable job and enjoy life." I'm in my late twenties now, and it look me up until three years ago to get out of a "fuck it" mentality. I went to a no-name state school, got a degree in Political Science (how useful is that?), and worked a temp job at a government agency collecting taxes half the year and collecting unemployment the other half. It seemed great at first but by the year where I quit to go back to school I absolutely hated it. I felt like I had settled for everything when I could achieve so much more. Which is why I went back to school. Now I'm finding that even what I've achieved so far (which tons of normal people would perceive as a great achievement) isn't enough for me.
Has anyone else run into situations like this in their life? Should I stick with my current job and be happy with what I've achieved so far, or should I try to aim higher by transferring and trying to get into consulting?
Sb'ed. " and yet, the thought of not shooting for the best that I can be keeps holding me back from saying, "fuck it, stick with the cushy and stable job and enjoy life"
This perfectly describes my life. Always shoot for your dream and don't look back. Apply to hundreds of banks/firms if you have to and hussle your way up. Never shoot for anything less then what you can be. I truly wish the best of luck to you and I am glad to see others who strives to be the best they can be.
You're not alone. Although I have yet to graduate, I think about the same things you do about accounting. For me it is a fallback for IBD, but at the same time, I know it is stable, the pay is okay for only being 22, and you get your CPA. But then I think it is a dead end boring job where advancement is pretty mediocre and pay never gets good unless you become partner. So I always think whether I should tough out the rest of my accounting classes or just go focus on one of my interests (mathematics) for fun even though it could wreck my GPA.
Take the GMAT and go get an MBA. Application deadlines will be quickly approaching before you know it.
tons of info here – first focus on what you really want (IB vs consulting in your case) and on where you want to be ultimately. this will make it easier for you to make a plan.
Be happy but never satisfied. Life gets boring quickly if you don't want anything more and aren't pushing yourself to do better - at least in my opinion. If you really liked accounting/tax, I'd say try to build a career in it but make it to partner - no easy feat by any stretch, and you'd still make a lot of money etc. Since you don't, (if I were in your shoes) I can't imagine many things more depressing than settling into the job for the long haul.
Don't compare yourself to the "normal" people you mention - the majority of people you will come across (the so called normal people) live their entire lives in a mediocre mindset - it's not hugely impressive to achieve more than they do. Instead, compare yourself to people you admire and would like to emulate - that'll make you get your ass into gear pretty quickly.
I appreciate all the advice that everyone is giving. It's good to see that I'm not alone in the way I'm feeling lately. It's definitely been on my mind looking forward, even though I'm in the infancy of my new job. After reading all your guys' advice, I know at the end of the day I'll keep aiming for my current goal of trying to switch into consulting (and shooting for bigger and better things moving forward). When it comes down to it, it's hard to beat this quote:
Thanks all.
Good for you man, I think you definitely have the right attitude. The only thing that might be a bit difficult is your age. You're in your late 20's so probably won't be able to transition to consulting before your actual 30's. Don't know if at that age, a big 4 company which is accustomed to hiring 22-24 yo for their junior consultant jobs would consider you... Hopefully I'm wrong though
Bear in mind we're living in a time where someone in our generation (20s) could be offered the President's job and they'd still think that's "settling."
By all means shoot for something better if that's what you really want, but don't idealize it. Be as cold-blooded and objective as you can when weighing the cost-benefit analysis of the switch.
Big D refugee here so I can speak to one of your potential paths.
I haven't heard of anyone switching from tax to consulting but I didn't know many tax people. I know that in order to make the switch you need to have partners from both your current and future service areas agree to the transition so moving to a larger office and getting on a big project where you have direct interaction with senior people in consulting will go a long way. Switching is also dependent upon need so if you can time your switch with a big consulting win that requires more people than the bench can handle you'll be in a good position.
I'm in a similar situation as you but probably worse off currently. I'm 24 and currently stuck in a job that I'm keeping because of circumstance and necessity, i.e., bills. I can't even get into BO roles. I want to get into high finance and eventually into consulting. If I settle for anything less, I think my anxiety will eat me up.
I'm currently busting my ass studying for the GMAT to get an MSF/MBA depending on where I get accepted. You have better chance of making it there, brah. Go for it. Fuck her right in the pussy!
it sounds like you're wondering if you should shoot for the stars or be happy with what you have, and the answer is yes. I think if you're unhappy at any point in your life, it's not your career, it's you. happiness is a choice, so you should always find happiness no matter what you're doing. that's #1 priority, love thyself.
as for being complacent, I think not. you need to get better at goal setting, and don't let naysayers get in the way. while it's important to have achievable goals (e.g. I will never make partner at KKR, no matter how hard I try), it's also important to challenge yourself.
I'm not saying that this means you should do banking, consulting, whatever, but you should have a long term goal of what you want out of your career (among other things), and don't relent. I'm a strong believer that if you have realistic goals (e.g. if you have a 500 GMAT and a 2.7 from DeVry you're not going to Harvard b-school, no matter how hard you try) and you actually do the work to try to achieve those goals, you should achieve them. there's no secret sauce, there's just effort, perseverance, patience, and possibly a little luck (although I believe you make your own luck, but that's another argument for another thread).
measure yourself against your goals, never against others. for example, if I measured myself against somebody like Marty Shafiroff, I'd have quit PWM a long time ago, I know I will never have the amount of assets/revenue/etc that he has, I just won't, but that doesn't distract me from MY goals. what I'm saying is clearly define what it is you want to accomplish instead of using WSO or others as a yardstick, make your goals irrespective of those things, then define a plan, execute, and you should be good.
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