Why does this site hate on Big 4 so much?

I would choose investment banking over big 4 anyday but it's still a solid career. You get better wlb balance than most high finance job, steady career progression and job stability. I'm from an Asian country where my friend dad is retired Big 4 Partner. Guy is worth $3mil~, have a happy family and both of his kids are going to prestigious UK/US university.

Obviously, becoming a partner is not guaranteed and my friend’s dad is only one example, so I’m not saying everyone in Big 4 will become rich. But I don’t really understand why some people here treat Big 4 like a “bad” career when, compared with most jobs, it still offers good opportunities

8 Comments
 

Because most people browsing the site are in college/an analyst, and big 4 as an analyst is, to put it bluntly, absolute ASS. The lower levels of big 4 are truly hell on earth with meh pay, especially in NYC - so if I'm going to be miserable for 2 years might as well go work in IB which is more prestigious. Big 4 is a good career, but really only "worth it" for the reasons you describe at the mid/senior levels. I am speaking purely from the US perspective. 

 
Most Helpful

Made it out of one of the B4 into banking. 1. Pay for NYC standards is bad, and the "bonus" is like a few hundred bucks. It also doesn't really grow that phenomenally too. 2. WLB is slightly better than banking but you still get cranked for like half the year with sub-banking pay 3. A bunch of corporate beaurocracy - i.e daily timesheets, a million bullshit KPI's and point systems, random trainings on like 5 different sites. 4. Honestly the work isn't really all that interesting because you don't really contribute meaningfully to a companies inflection point but YMMV. I get it if you're there for 1-3 years, but as you go more senior especially in NYC you start to ask yourself what do people give up by not leaving? Mid levels still get paid less than 1yr IB Analysts working banking-lite hours. 

 

Recusandae et ex magnam eum. Ut consequuntur natus in incidunt ab voluptas. Est ut voluptate vel. Eligendi voluptatem officiis facilis iure vel inventore. Sint temporibus ut aliquid aut vero.

Quia nemo eligendi est reprehenderit totam. Adipisci qui nulla harum vero. Vel et debitis non aperiam illo in dolorem. Earum optio qui cum et velit et. Id ea iste aperiam nam culpa recusandae et quis. Ea dolor id cum accusantium molestias.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”