Experienced CPA looking to make the jump into Consulting
Hi All:
I've been lurking for quite some time, and figured it was time to start asking for advice instead of soaking it up in threads. I'm a CPA with 4 years in public accounting, and 3 years in corporate looking to make the jump into consulting.
- 3.3 GPA from a non-target state school. I hate debt, and wanted to graduate debt free so I worked 3 jobs to do so. I look back and it would have been better to take on some debt and go to a better school, but oh well.
- Accounting degree
- 2 internships at a small and mid tier accounting firm with offers. This is where I made a big mistake. I saw my uncle as being a very successful CPA, and he had no big 4 experience. I also disliked the fact that I was hearing that Big 4 accountants only worked on a specific section of the Binder for a long period of time.
-Took the mid-tier offer, and was a senior on multi-national public clients with very technical issues. I loved the complexity of the clients, along with the travel involved
-Moved into a large Heathcare provider, and hated the fact that I was just posting JEs and doing reconciliations.
-Currently at a start-up as a Controller. Started as the Assistant Controller and the sole person in accounting, and have back filled 4 direct hires. Growth from $3.5m-$20m+ in the 2 years I've been here.
My ultimate goal from the beginning has been to be a CFO, and I'll probably have that in another year or two at the company I'm with. After getting to this level, and seeing what a "start-up" company CFO does, It really doesn't fit what I want. It seems like these CFOs are more stuck in the operations, HR, and daily transactions than difficult technical work.
Consulting seems like a perfect fit, and I wish I had known about it from the beginning. I love the technical work, being surrounded by bright and driven people, travel, and making a contribution and moving on to another problem at a new company.
Questions: I have good friends at the senior level of PwC who can pass my resume to the right people, but I want to get my ducks in line. What do I need add to my resume and background? I also want to get my MBA at an MBA business schools">M7, should I go before or after my switch?
