non target canadian university 4 options please advise life depends on it

happypantsmcgeeThe answer to your question largely depends on how badly you need to work in the short term. If you need the income, obviously take the accounting job and try to network from there. I should also say that, in my admittedly limited experience, the possibility of transferring into a Big 4 is no great unless its post MBA or you have a special skill set. (The only person I know that was able to successful do this was a forensic accountant with the FBI or something) My gut reaction is to say either 3 or 4. You can apply to MFin programs now as most of them accept applications until March or April. My question to you is why would you rush to get out of school with a degree in accounting in less than 3 years if you wanted to go into banking? Why wouldn't you just take finance classes for another year thus giving you another shot at recruiting, internships this summer etc?

Hey happypants, I was at the end of 2nd year when the firm that I am currently working for gave me a full-time job contract that I signed instantly and mailed in. This was at possibly the worst time in the recession so I didn't know if I'd have a job upon graduation if I switched majors to Finance - plus, I was almost already done my degree. (And did I mention that I'm at a non-target!) Our university has a great accounting program but that's about it. So I continued the path and finished with my Bachelor of Accounting degree and started work 2 months after i graduated.

ryu.and.companywhy are you trying to become a ca and get into ib at the same time?

Read my reply above this one to happypants; I was basically stuck in this route although I started to love finance at the beginning of 2nd year. (I've taken a few finance courses, 5 economics courses and a few statistic courses) So I stuck with accounting and now I'm in a field where I'm getting very little direct exposure to finance. I can transfer to corporate finance once I get my CA but that will be after 3 years; I might as well be working in IB by then.

Kanon In Canada, Option 2 is possible. Unlike in US, where accounting has a much greater negative stigma, CAs can transition into banking (and even the big 6 Canadian banks). It's not uncommon - because accounting skills are useful, and if you were doing accounting, it likely means someone came from a more finance-oriented background too..

Apologies...not too familiar with how things work in Canada so I probably shit on this option more than I should have

tylderdurden

TekI know this post is long so please bear with me!

I am from a non-target Canadian university with a Bachelor of Accounting. I finished university in 2 years and 10 months and have a gpa of 3.4-3.5. I have been working for a mid-tier accounting firm (biggest outside of big 4) for a few months now. Keep in mind that I am trying to obtain my CA Designation, which is US Equivalent of CPA in case you don't know, and it is a 36 month long process. I want to break into Investment Banking and also attend a top B School. Do I even stand a chance? Here are my following options, as I perceive them:

Option 1: After 1 year, transfer to a Big 4 firm for brand recognition, finish my CA by working for 2 years there and then apply to a Top B school, whilst doing extracurricular and volunteer activities during my time there.

Option 2: Finish with the current firm and apply to boutique investment banks (is this even possible with my background) and work there for an additonal 2 years and then apply to B School

Option 3: Apply for jobs in boutique banks now, or during next recruiting process, and try to get out of public accounting asap!

Option 4: Apply for the next possible MFin which Anthony D is always talking about. (Is this possible to get into a good university for MFin, again, given my background and the fact that I am Canadian). After finishing MFin, apply for MM or boutique banks and then apply with some experience to top B School for MBA.

Please respond seriously responsibly as this is a life altering decision!!! If there are any other options then please advise.

Thank you WSO community!

I'm going to guess that you work for Grant Thorton. Even if you dont and work at one of the equivalents, the amount of experience you'll get at a Big4 vs a mid-tier isn't going to vary dramatically (I never went through the CA program, but know tons of people who did). At the end of the day, you'll have your CA.

You've started your CA already - my advise to you is to stick it out and finish it. It's not the be all and end all that the CA institute would want you to believe, but it definitely does help for moving around. It'd likely be another checkmark in your app for B-school. If you'd dead set on banking and know that you want to do that, then go ahead and drop out of CASB, but imo, it's a pretty useful designation to have in Canada.

Getting into firms with your background is totally possible. Look at the bios of people in Raymond James Vancouver for example - you'll see that they come from all different backgrounds. Heck, I didnt follow a traditional path at all to get into finance.

If you're doing the CA, I dont think you're going to get much from doing the MFin. The opportunity cost and the time spent could be better spent networking.

Finally, relax. It's not a life altering decision. You're not going to look back on this 40 years from now and go "OH MY GOD, that changed my life" It's just one of millions of decisions that you'll make in a lifetime and regardless of what you choose, if you have the mindset that you're going to learn from each experience, then you'll be happier for it.

Haha thanks for your input. I just don't want to look back after 3 years and say "wow.. what a waste of 3 years toward investment banking and a Top B School... I should have just [insert different career path here] and that would have helped me so much more! DAMN YOU WSO!"