Big 4 Risk Advisory

I'm a junior most probably pursuing a Big 4 risk advisory summer internship in banking and capital markets Risk management and possibly being able to interview with corp finn, valuations, M&A towards the end of the summer.

If I skip the ibanking route...can I sitll make it to a f500 corp dev and eventually a PE/VC group? Has it been done, is it doable? How many years with the big 4 firm? I love the people there. after a few year working there if I don't plan on going partner i would like to pursue f500 or VC/PE or a top tier consulting firm. has anyone does anything similar (skipping ibanking).

12 Comments
 
unpaidintern...I love the people there. after a few year working there if I don't plan on going partner...
Ah youth... Let me tell you something: It's possible, but your odds of working in PE/VC as an investment professional will be low if you work for the Big 4. Most ex-Big 4 employees in finance work the back or middle office in controller, CFO, accounting, etc roles.

Let me tell you something else: The Big 4 make their bones by convincing college students how great it is to work there. This is a lie. Do the job that will help you get the job you want. If that's with the Big 4, it's a fine route to take, but don't get sucked in by their spin.

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 
Kenny_Powers_CFA
unpaidintern...I love the people there. after a few year working there if I don't plan on going partner...

Let me tell you something else: The Big 4 make their bones by convincing college students how great it is to work there. This is a lie. Do the job that will help you get the job you want. If that's with the Big 4, it's a fine route to take, but don't get sucked in by their spin.

I think this is true for audit, but if you make partner in advisory, the gig is pretty solid.

 

I worked in advisory, same shit different wallpaper. Like I said, working in the Big 4 is fine, but it's not the shits and giggles they sell you in the recruiting process-it's a grind, like any other career, that pays far less than finance while working ~80% of the hours and working 2x as hard to get to the kind of jobs the original poster says he wants.

I thought I wanted to be a partner, too-for about a month.

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 
Best Response
unpaidinternDo you think I will have the same opportunities if I wanted to do a career change to strategy consulting if I go with IB rather than big 4 advisory?
That's a tough question, one you may want to pose on the consulting board-my inclination would be that the either one would give you options for consulting post-MBA, but the Big 4 advisory group may be the more natural fit since you'll be doing consulting already.
mathteami kinda have a similar question about working for the big 4 (as an intern or just starting out there post grad), when banks (recruiters or analysts looking at resumes) view the resume of someone who has done a stint at a big 4, what is their general reaction, positive or negative?..
Big 4 employees tend to be type-case as middle/back-office accountants, even if you aren't a CPA/didn't work in audit. Intern may be less of a stigma, but this is 100% true for full-time and something my cohort and I had to work to overcome.
There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 

i kinda have a similar question about working for the big 4 (as an intern or just starting out there post grad), when banks (recruiters or analysts looking at resumes) view the resume of someone who has done a stint at a big 4, what is their general reaction, positive or negative?..

 

thats what i thought, its just going to be a challenge to change that stigma in the 30 seconds (more or less, depending on the company and the reader's environment) in which one has their resume being looked over and decided upon.

 

Brand new to this and really hoping you see this. I’m in the exact same position but I am a junior. Currently have a risk advisory offer from big 4 and I really just wanna know the steps you took from here. I need someone who has done the walk to explain the decision making. Thanks very much.

 

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