When to transition? (Career advice needed - TAS to Pure Finance)

Hi Monkeys,

I'm looking for some career advise and was hoping you all would be kind enough to share your insights and hopefully your experiences.

My Situation:

I'm currently working approximately 50 hours a week in big 4 TAS. During busy season, that number jumps up to around 65. My work is fairly complicated and I'm given a lot of responsibility. I'm in constant contact with c level executives at major corporations. I don't want to get into the specifics about the nature of my work but it's a combination of finance and consulting. My resume has improved dramatically and recruiters are constantly contacting me. I'm trying to figure out if I should stick it out for a while longer or if I should make the jump early to a pure finance position.

Pros:
1. Strong job security - it's difficult to get fired (my group is expanding dramatically)
2. I'm learning a lot and building a strong skill set
3. Fully vested pension plan after 2 years
4. The manager that I spent most of my time working with is fantastic as are the partners
5. They will fully cover any certification - currently working on the CFA on their tab

Cons:

  1. The pay is crap
  2. Don't want to get pigeonholed in TAS

So basically, as I understand it, my situation is: Stick around for a while, build my resume, continue to accumulate marketable skills while getting at least the CFA designation (and potentially the CPA in the situation where I transition to corporate finance) while getting paid peanuts and potentially pigeonholing myself in advisory.

Any feedback is appreciated and I would love it if someone who was in a similar position could comment.

Cheers

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