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
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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.
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