Big 4 FSO Assurance vs. Small Broker/Dealer Agency Trading. Which will get me where I want to go?

Hey guys,

I'm currently faced with a tough decision, so I'm hoping some of you who are actually in the industry can help me to select the most lucrative course of action here.

One year ago, I was an accounting major in my senior year of undergraduate studies, and I decided to pursue a career in proprietary trading. I've always wanted to be a trader but chose to major in accounting because I started school in 2010 after watching my parents lose everything in the crash, and everyone always said accountants never lose their jobs. Yeah, well, come to find out, they also wear New Balance sneakers with suits and don't get fairly compensated for the hours they work. Not to mention the work is extremely boring.

Anyways, last Fall I came on these forums, posted my resume, got torn apart, and then decided to get serious about making myself more competitive as an aspiring trader. I extended my undergraduate studies one more year so I could complete a second major in Finance and a minor in Computer Science. I landed several internships, and I'm currently interning part-time for an independent broker-dealer. If all goes well, which I anticipate it will, I'll get a full-time offer there as well. I'm also working towards the CFA, CMT....see my resume for further details.

Here's my problem: Before deciding I wanted to go into trading, I committed to an internship with Ernst & Young. So I went down to New York this summer, worked on *FSO Tax doing compliance and planning for a major hedge fund, and then got a full-time offer in FSO Assurance in Chicago.

Ideally, I would like to pursue a M.S. Financial Engineering. If I can't compete for those programs, a M.S. in Computer Science / Mathematics. However, I owe $85k in student loan debt, and I have a one-year-old son, so it's out of the question right now. I need to work for at least a few years.

So now I have a choice. Big 4 FSO Auditing in Chicago vs. Agency Trading in Syracuse, NY.

The way I see it, an agency trading gig would likely improve my candidacy for a better graduate program in a few years, but a Big 4 job in a major city would allow me to make connections and network with potential future employers. I just don't want to get pigeon holed in accounting, and I've never heard of an auditor making it to a trading desk.

I've attached my resume. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

*FSO: Financial Services Office. It just means the clients are exclusively in the financial services industry. I would be in the Asset Management practice.