Interested in transitioning from public accounting into finance

Hi all--

I'm about two years in at a Big 4 public accounting firm, and I'm hoping to make a transition on over into finance. I'm a licensed CPA, and since having been exposed to the private equity industry, I have began to look into ways in which I can get involved with m&a transactions at the deal level. I've considered the FDD group within my firm (and at other Big 4 firms), but I'm also wondering if it makes more sense to try to make a lateral (and perhaps a more direct) switch and start as an analyst at a bank. I've started taking advantage of various free financial modeling tutorials, but I'm also looking to subscribe to one of the paid self-study courses. Based on the research that I have done, Wall Street Prep certainly stands out as a quality choice. I'm also thinking that the WSP Certification would be advantageous (from a resume perspective), even if only to show that I am interested and dedicated.

I welcome any advice/comments. Thanks.

3 Comments
 
Best Response

If your goal is private equity, transferring as an analyst at a known BB bank would be better than transferring to your firms M&A group. However, what I did was work on my CFA after I qualified as a CA, CPA, while at my firms M&A group. This gave me additional time to study for my CFA, and transfer as an associate (saves you the grueling analyst hours). You need to pitch yourself as a banker rather than an accountant (I did this by having a finance undergrad and CFA experience). The modelling may not be enough for some banks, and a big 4 M&A group may be your only opportunity.

 

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