Looking to get out of B4 audit. Been in the banking/cap markets space at B4 for ~2 years. Always viewed audit as a stepping stone and trying to get out now and make switch to IB.
I know a traditional path of audit -> TS (fdd/m&a) at b4/top 10 -> IB at BB/Mm is what ppl do. But with hiring freezes everywhere between TS and BB, not sure where to start. Would love some advice
NYC based
| +460 | Don’t work at UBS - UBS Sucks | 45 | 13m |
| +330 | Article - UBS’ Investment Bank Keeps Losing Ground | 43 | 1d |
| +219 | Should My Intern Get a Return Offer? | 59 | 1d |
| +62 | Getting Laid in IB? | 28 | 1d |
| +56 | F*ck it I'm Going to Med School | 19 | 3d |
| +54 | Intern keeps sleeping at work - what to tell them | 26 | 1h |
| +51 | Living in greenwich as an analyst? | 10 | 11h |
| +47 | Incompetent and annoying co-intern | 20 | 2h |
| +33 | Nauseous every morning for past 3 years in IB, anyone else? | 22 | 2h |
| +33 | Quick Thoughts on CVC AI Sale Process | 5 | 3h |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
While not a traditional path, I have worked with a few people who transitioned from Big 4 to IB post-business school and they were solid Associates. For PE, I can’t recall anyone on the investment side who came from Big 4, but there are often people with that background at portfolio company or operating partner / strategic resource group roles.
I started in B4 audit, moved to FDD and in 2018 moved to IB. The best time to do this was obviously 2020/21 and then people were somewhat easily going straight from audit to MM IB. Now it is tougher again and I would say FDD is still the best route. If I were you I would check on transferring internally but that involves a lot of politics as you might already know. So easiest route is probably lateraling to another B4 or A&M type, then try banking from there. A lot of people like doing FDD though so you may enjoy it once you make the switch. I would try to avoid doing the mba to break in, audit does not hold a ton of weight at top programs and will take a lot of time. I believe your best bet is the FDD route. Feel free to reach out if any questions, always happy to advise people going this route.
Consequatur quia aspernatur ex perferendis placeat voluptas. Praesentium ratione dolores qui voluptatem impedit asperiores. Quaerat ducimus incidunt dignissimos quaerat iusto ratione.
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...