I've been working in Big 4 Audit for about 6 months now- and I can't stand it. I have no motivation at work because I'm extremely uninterested in being here. The pay is decent for entry level (fresh out of school), but the work isn't very interesting at all. Is it too soon to leave? My family and friends (many of them older) think I should stick around 1-2 years before leaving. I understand the idea of not being labeled a quitter, but should I really stick around when I'm this miserable? I've already started looking at other opportunities and haven't had a lot of success, but I have had some hits. Applying online probably isn't the best way to go but it's currently busy season so I don't really have time for networking.
There are 2 real reasons I'm on the fence about quitting right now: The first is where do I go when I leave? As far as exits go, I'm not sure what I'd be able to get. I'm doing a lot of cold emails and reaching out where I can with respect to corporate finance roles and IB roles but I feel like I would need time off to practice technicals and modeling in order to be at a point where I could come in and succeed in an IB role. Given what I like and dislike about my current firm, I believe that consulting or going to a startup would also be something I would be far more interested in. The second is I still think I want to go back to school for my MBA at some point in the next 3-7 years. I'm quite concerned with how leaving so early would be viewed by adcoms. The third, which is interesting enough, my least concern is money. I'm not sure how long it will take to find another job but realistically I believe I could make it for 6-8 months or so unemployed (including a tax refund I'm getting once I file) in case I had to.
Has anybody been in this situation before? What's a solid, logical course of action?
Thanks for your help,
Otto
Considering career switch from Audit (Originally Posted: 08/24/2013)
Hi everyone,
I'll keep it short: I graduated in accounting, went to work at a Big 4 Audit (which I am still at, less than 1 year). I didn't think twice about going into audit because I assumed I'd stay interested in accounting and I definitely don't like tax. I've had a realization I wish I had earlier: I do not like this. I absolutely hate studying for the CPA exams, I don't like accounting, I want out.
I'm considering starting to make a pitch to switch to transaction services advisory as my Big 4 has a very nice market share in advisory in a large West Coast market. And in the meantime abandoning my former CPA aspirations and start studying for the GMAT and try to get into a top MBA program after several years of experience (hopefully advisory).
What do you think? Any thoughts/experiences on observing others make a career switch like this, I assume it's been done plenty of times before.
I am currently in a Big 4 (Corporate Finance) in Europe and I've been investigating a little bit the opportunities of career switch (to strategic consulting and investment banking) and the chaces for MBA admission. 1) moving from Audit to Advisory within the same firm is definitely possible. Out of 4 person in my staff room I am the only one who started directly in Corporate Finance. The other 3 people all spent between 6 month and 24 month in audit. Within my same team there are at least other 4/5 juniors (analysts & associates) which switched from audit and one of them after completing an MBA in a good European Business School (IE in Madrid). At the senior level this path is definitely the norm. The Head of Corporate Finance in my country and the former Head where both in Audit before moving to advisory or to banking (and then coming back); 2) I have seen few people in my country going for an MBA from a Big 4 firm: one spent 2 yrs between Audit and Transaction Services before goind to IE; one spent 4 yrs in PwC Deals before attending Tuck and then moved to banking; one spent 1 yr and 10 months in Deloitte Audit then 3 yrs and 7 months in Deloitte Consulting before going to INSEAD and then moved to banking; one spent 4 yrs in KPMG Advisory before attending the Kellogg School of Management.
One advice that I would give you (but take it with a grain of salt since I am only a second year analyst) is to try to define a clear path in your career without looking as a jumper or as someone who does not understand what he wants to do. I mean, it would look to me as more consistent a career path with 18-24 months in Audit + CPA and then moving for other 18-24 months in consulting before going for an MBA than a 6-9 months in Audit then 18 months in consulting and then an MBA to change career again.
Yeah, going from Audit to TS is definitely possible. I just did it 5 months ago (after interning 6 months in Audit). And as already mentioned in the previous post, almost all of my collegues were in Audit before.
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