Move from Corporate Finance @ F25 to Big 4

How difficult is it to make the jump from corporate finance at a Fortune 25 to Big 4 to get your CPA? My credentials are below.

MS Finance + BS Finance
3 Yrs corporate finance - Heavy on the Financial Modeling
Studying CPA - Passed FAR

 
Best Response

Seeing as you have already taken FAR is it safe to assume that you have met all of the educational requirements for the state that you want to practice in? Big 4 will only take you if you have met or are well on your way to meeting the educational requirements to sit for the CPA.

Also, is having a CPA the only reason you want to go into the Big 4?

Depending on the state in which you reside you may be able to meet the work requirement with your current job... You should look into the exact requirements if a CPA is your only goal. You will likely be working longer hours and making the same or less than at your current role. Big 4 firms are able recruit based on the 'incredible learning experience' and don't need to pay as well.

If you want to work in Big 4 for other reasons than I would look into the advisory practice. My guess is that it would be easier for you to transition into Advisory than it would be to go into Audit or Tax as you may be forced into the associate role.. You would lose 3 years of work experience and start at the bottom of the ladder.

Just got out of the Big 4 to head back to school. I worked in both audit and advisory. I liked what I did in advisory but will NEVER audit the financials of a public company again. Busy season was miserable.. (Hours weren't awful but the work is boring and the client contacts are generally brain dead)

 

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, the state I reside requires that I have at least 400 hrs of audit experience to obtain a CPA. The only aspect that is holding me back from making the transition is the 10k-15k expected pay cut. However, I am afraid if I don't make the jump quick enough I won't ever get the opportunity to get my 400 hrs in at a name brand institution. It did cross my mind to try the internal audit route. But, I would rather have the Big 4 brand than the F25 internal audit brand.

 

dude - what is your motivation for wanting Big 4/CPA?

There's a reason that everyone does this is the other direction (myself included). The only reason that I would consider going back to Big 4 is for promotion (title). Promotions can be tough to get in the Corp world, but they're basically guaranteed at Big 4 if you don't get fired.

I'd really consider internal audit if you have a real reason to pursue the CPA. If there is no real reason, I'd abandon that thought altogether.

twitter: @CorpFin_Guy
 

Thanks for your insight. My motivation is the Big 4 name brand with the CPA designation. As in any career, branding is a key career move. As you can see I chose the atypical route by first knocking out the toughest experiences to attain. Now, I need to prove that my comprehension of accounting is on par with the best.

 

Without going back to get your MAcc, I think the chances of you getting an entry level audit position is pretty slim. I've personally only heard of one person that went into industry first, and then got a new associate position without having gone back to school. From what I recall, she worked for the accounting department of a school that Big 4 heavily recruited from and a professor referred her. My guess is that the professor was an ex-partner and still had a lot of pull. I forget the details, but my point is that it rarely ever happens that way.

You MIGHT be able to get into the firms' internal audit line of service and then ask to do an audit rotation after working for a year or two. If you're state requires 400hrs of audit work, I would imagine the local Big 4 offices have a rotation program that allows non-audit employees to fulfill those hours. Big 4 encourages CPA licensure for all lines of service, so it would only make sense to have some kind of rotation program. I would ask someone that's working at a Big 4 in your local office to investigate for you. Just have them ask HR how do non audit employees fulfill their hours for CPA licensure.

 

You will not have a problem getting into the Big 4 with that experience. My question, like many others, is why you want to.

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 

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