MSF vs Entry level finance posistion

Quick back ground, I'm currently in audit and am leaving after this busy season. The university I went to is small and not prestigious at all, getting into the Big 4 is an accomplishment where I went, I did get a masters in accounting though. This is only my second year with the big 4 in smaller office. I'm by no means a high performer, audit is awful, and I have not yet tried for the CPA and don't have much intention to. I got accepted to a decent MSF program, think Vanderbilt or UT. I also started applying to oil/gas analyst positions and have a final round interview in a Strategic Finance department. The oil/gas major is decently sized, think Nustar, Valero, Tesoro, Phillips 66, etc. If I had to look long term, I wouldn't mind getting into consulting although to be honest I have no idea what is I want to do, it's all theoretical at this point but I want to open as many doors as possible but IB or MBB seem extremely interesting careers and I would love that opportunity if presented. I'm not ruling an MBA out in the future, I think it's likely. What are your thoughts, if in a similar situation what path would you pursue?

***Transfer to TAS is often recommended here, but I tried for that and got shot down, I would have to stay for at least another two years if I really wanted to transfer into it, and I hate audit too much to tolerate that much longer.

 

Here is the issue. You got two years of audit and you're not doing great there. You do this masters and what if you don't get banking? You'd try for TAS or something else but that would almost be a comparable position to what you have now.

IMO, vandy and UTA are great, but if you do it make sure you're all in and ready to do whatever it takes to land that dream job you want. Otherwise you'll have two masters and be looking to go back to a similar job you had post masters.

 
shorttheworld:

What do you want to do -- industry or consulting most likely? Take that strategy role if you can do that and save the one year of schooling and debt for an MBA in the future

A solid fortune 500 role will serve you well in apps

Totally missed that. Yeah, 100% take the strat role.

 
Ehh and Why:

Yeah that's what I'm leaning towards. Just curious, I see a few MSF posts on here and this isn't really addressed, but given my work experience is it possible to come in at least as level 2 analyst at say an IB? It doesn't really seem like a standardized path so the information is lacking out there.

It would be a very hard sell. Associate recruiting is really for MBA's or those with directly relevant experience. Not saying it is impossible, but it would not be the likely outcome.

 
Best Response

Autem est quis reprehenderit. Assumenda accusantium repudiandae est et minima. Quas ipsam dolore impedit vero velit. Quod quis perspiciatis aut ipsum. Sunt quos officia rerum porro. Doloremque eligendi vitae rerum repudiandae atque.

Facere ipsa eius quidem qui quo dolore unde est. Voluptas molestias libero recusandae quis quia ut. Est tempora modi esse aspernatur qui inventore labore. Rem rem maiores qui dolor quam sit.

Eligendi et possimus dolor est beatae eos temporibus. Assumenda sed reiciendis necessitatibus accusantium amet. Labore veritatis dolorem quisquam unde et cum. Ut consequatur beatae hic sit est quos. Repellat ut qui voluptatem dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Kenny_Powers_CFA's picture
Kenny_Powers_CFA
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...”