Career advice would be much appreciated!
Hey guys,
I have been on this board for over a year and have enjoyed many of the quality posts.
I just graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Accounting, and have a full-time offer in a Big 4 accounting firm doing audit in Asia.
In a few years, I would like to break into the banking industry or research industry depending on the market at that time. From what I have read on this forum, breaking into both industries from audit is tough, but possible. Below are the possible paths that I have identified
Transfer into the advisory transaction service department and look for finance jobs opportunities
After getting my CPA and CFA (I took the Level 1 exam in June) 3 years later, then look for openings within equity research
Getting into a top business school after working for a few years, and move on from there
Here are a few questions that I had, it would be great if you guys could offer some pointers
Would it be useful to attend some financial modeling training courses such as AnEx, WSP, DealMaven etc. helps in breaking into banking/research jobs?
What do you guys think about the above paths that I identified?
Anything else I can do to maximize my chance in a few years?
Thanks!
Kenny
Attending a valuation / modeling course would be helpful, but I don't think it would necessarily land you a banking job as a networking vehicle. Definitely important to learn and understand the concepts before interviewing, though. Just do as well as you can at your job and keeps your ears open for IB opportunities. Try keeping in touch with the students who graduated from U of I in your class and having banking jobs.
Don't bother with the modeling classes, as this will all be taught to you on the job (if you are interested in getting a jump start, you can pick up some materials, rather than pay a large sum for a lengthy course). You're best bet is to network as much as you can within your firm and with alumni to meet with banking/research professionals. Networking is absolutely the key to breaking into the business whether in school, or already finished.
Regarding your options, I think 2 as a standalone is fine (coupled of course with extensive networking), and I like combining 1 with 3. So make the move to an advisory arm of the Big 4, and then head back to B school, network and you should have no problem breaking into either. Of course 3 alone with networking could absolutely work, but if you have the opportunity to transfer into the advisory group, then by all means you should because you may be able to network and leverage your new position into a banking opportunity without going back to business school.
In general, I think you've got a good handle on your current situation, and how to position yourself to achieve your goals. Just stay the course, network, and put a lot of research into the job and industry (banking and/or research). Best of luck to you.
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Why not just go ahead and get a Masters in Finance right now then go into banking in a year?
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