Reneging Big 4 Strategic Consulting for Regional Bank S&T

Hi Everyone,

I accepted a Big 4 strategic consulting offer a few weeks ago, given it was the only thing that came up. Given my previous experience in Corp Dev, I've always wanted to move into a banking FO role, whether it was Corporate Finance or Markets, so I dragged my feet on this to the latest date possible to accept. However, given there was no news then, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I chickened out and accepted it on the advice of career counselors.

Following that, I did a few first-round interviews and over the past week. I know all the Big 4 firms have been rescinding offers across many departments on short notice, even for supposedly recession-proof departments such as Audit. This was after the candidates had passed on other offers, so they've had to restart their internship hunt, and on seeing what they had been through I continued interviewing for the purpose of insurance. To my surprise, following that I was invited for final-round interviews for multiple regional banks, all for front-office related positions which I would much prefer. Again, there's nothing in the bag yet, but I'll definitely try my best.

I'm not sure if there's might be anyone else facing a similar dilemma, but I was wondering if it would be a good idea to renege on the role if I do receive any banking FO offers. One thing I'm concerned about is that I will be permanently locked out of my career services, which has on previous occasions used many measures to get their point across. I know this is a small problem compared to what many people are going through right now, but I would really appreciate it if you guys had any advice. Stay safe everyone!