Engineer to Accounting Career Transition Advice

Hey Everyone,

My first post - hope you're all doing good. I need some advice on transitioning my career from engineering into accounting. I received my BS in Mechanical Engineering back in 2011, and I have been working for an aircraft manufacturer for 3 years. I decided that while I enjoyed the undergraduate portion of it, working as an actual engineer just is not for me. I can't see myself becoming one of the greatest engineers of all time or whatever, and also because I don't want to have a boss my entire life. With accounting I figured I'd have more of a shot to maybe open up my own gig sometime down the line. So I recently left my job as an engineer to go to grad school full-time to receive my MBA in Accounting at Baruch College in NYC starting this upcoming fall. I feel that this is a unique situation I'm in, and I would love some input on the matter. I have a decent engineering undergrad GPA (3.4/4.0) and I am curious to know what kind of leverage I can use when I talk to recruiters at OCR & networking events. I have already planned to get my CPA license either after graduating or during the last year of school. I would like to get into a Big 4 firm either thru an internship or full-time position, and I was leaning more towards the audit/advisory role. I have spoken to multiple people already, and many have told me that advisory would be a good fit for an engineer.I also know a couple people working at KPMG, Deloitte, and E&Y currently. My questions:

1. What is your opinion on advisory being a good fit?
2. Do you know anyone that made a similar transition, if so, would you be able to share it?
3. Is there anything specifically I should be doing right away during the 1st semester so that I have a competitive edge over others?
4. What exactly should I tell recruiters & others when I try to network? I want to leverage the problem solving and technical skills I gained from my undergrad.
5. I'm 26 now - does this put me at a disadvantage?

I probably have to take a pay cut after grad school.

Any advice you all will be able to provide is useful. Thank you!

1 Comments
 

Ut ullam deserunt qui reiciendis ut sed fugit. Nostrum nobis laboriosam ut est sed. Aspernatur asperiores est et recusandae repudiandae voluptates voluptatem hic. Nostrum id labore vel aut quos. Voluptate rerum repudiandae occaecati voluptatem omnis.

Ut voluptas non fugit qui veritatis voluptate. Quaerat eos consequuntur magni quisquam accusantium. Illum rerum voluptatem est. Omnis et laboriosam deleniti velit velit. Voluptas recusandae aut dolores porro. Nemo odit quidem sed dolor reprehenderit.

Debitis quos sunt quae velit vitae quis. Cum non provident culpa amet eos. Doloribus aut ab quisquam enim dicta qui. Velit cum fugiat laboriosam nihil rerum accusamus ut esse. Sed dolores qui ad cumque reiciendis sapiente non. Adipisci totam rem fuga.

Sunt est et quasi consequuntur. Delectus possimus ut dolor veritatis sit illum. Libero quis sed sed rerum ut officia. Sunt perferendis et dolorum sunt. Qui earum sit voluptatibus et. Consequatur ut rerum eos dolorem odit rerum.

Current Big 4 Management Consultant with an Engineering Background seeking new opportunities with more of an entrepreneurial focus in High-Tech, Energy, Capital Markets, M&A, and/or Venture Capital.

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 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • 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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”