[HELP!!!] Possibility of a CPA getting into M7
Hi.
I just got my CPA license and have been working for a mid-size CPA firm for the last 3 years.
I graduated with Finance major, but job market kinda made me to pursue accounting career after college. Although I've never liked to be an accountant, I tried my best to get something out of it like getting a CPA license.
However, I'm still dreaming of going to the MBA and Finance Industry (IB/M&A preferred).
At this moment, I got job offers from Big 4 in Tax role, and it made me doubt if it's a good path for my future career.
I have two options and hope to get any kind of advices form you guys and wonder my chances at M7.
- Going to Big 4 and put their name on resume to apply for M7 after 2 years. (I heard it's hard to break into M7 if I came from an accounting background - please correct me , if this is wrong)
- Getting CFA Level 2 (I got Level 1 right after college and am preparing level 2 now) and apply for finance jobs then prepare for M7 after 2-3 years of experience.
My background as of right now is
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3.87/4.00 from TOP 30 LAC
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A research paper related to Corporate Finance getting published
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An article getting published in one of 3 major Finance magazines
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3 years of total work experience in a CPA firm
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Decent extracurricular activities including more than 300 volunteer hours
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Two promotions so far
Thank you!
Do good on your GMAT and don't worry about the CFA if you don't have aspirations to complete it / work in an industry that values it (asset management is not a feeder from MBA's), and IB/M&A doesn't care about it that much. CFA level 1 alone could give you a GMAT waiver at some places but I'd say a quality GMAT score would push the needle more.
Thank you so much for your comment!
Do you think it's okay to prepare GMAT from now although I wanna take it like at least 1-2 years later?
Studying for 2yrs might be a bit much.
Why do you plan on taking it in that time period? You're at 3yoe, gmat scores last for 5yrs. Start studying, take it when you are ready and move on.
What’s your native language?
I came from multi-national background so I speak Korean/Mandarin-Chinese/English
My boss did that by doing TAS after he got his CPA for pre-mba deal exposure and then got into a back end M7, which led to a BB associate offer.
dude is a born killer though so MMV
Crush the GMAT and your odds are solid. Also, you do not need an m7 to break into banking. As a former accountant who will ace technical interviews relative to the former military guys and fashion girls, you would have no problem landing and elite IB job from Darden, Tuck, Fuqua, Johnson, etc. Every single Evercore recruit in my class (4) was a CPA. Not a single CPA graduated without an offer.
Ahhh THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
You gave me some hopes. I thought I have no other choice but going to M7 and landing into some elite IB jobs.
Can I ask if CPA experience helped you to get into great MBA schools like you mentioned above and your IB career after graduation?
Thanks again!
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