coolkidd123

creamgethamoney, working at the big 4 definitely helps when finding another job later on but its not everything. In the end, networking and knowing lots of people will get you the job you want.

jonahrubin

I am just a student, too, but remember that if everyone is convinced that the best people ought to go to the Big Four that is what will happen generally. So that such people go on to get the best jobs later isn't that surprising. I recall around 2000 reading about a study which tracked people who had been offered admission to the Ivy League or other top schools(MIT, etc). Those that couldn't go because they didn't have money or who just wanted to go to a 2nd tier school for whatever reason still did just as well.

I think the idea people in this thread are trying to convey is that if you don't get a Big Four job because you don't want to work at a huge company or you got some bad Freshman grades or whatever, but you are as good at accounting, networking, communicating, etc as your peers that go to the Big Four then you'll do fine in the long run. If you didn't get a Big Four job because you really suck at accounting, are lazy, and come off like a moron in interviews...then you aren't going to have a great career anyway. Not being Big Four isn't the cause nor would the solution be begging your Uncle who happens to be a partner to pull strings for you.

hampster

Can you choose an industry (e.g., real estate or higher education) to specialize in early on in your Big 4 career? If so, how soon? Is this something you can talk about during the job interview, or will expressing a particular interest in a specific industry hurt your chances?

taxguy

Hampster asks,"Can you choose an industry (e.g., real estate or higher education) to specialize in early on in your Big 4 career? "

Response: When I was at the Big 8 many years ago, you couldn't initially choose the your preferred industry but transfers to other industries were allowed after a year or two. I don't know what happens now though. My experience dates back 30 years.

moss

hampster: I know that for PwC tax, they want you to stay in BCS (business compliance services) for 1-2 years to get your feet wet before you request to go into a specific service line/industry (like M&A/film)

jdnely

How man clients does an each stage of advancement starting at entry level work with/for at anytime? Do you focus on 1 client until it complete and then move on? And if so, how long do you typically work for said client?

Dawgie

If you are mad good, the managers will want you on specific clients for the whole year. The better you are the more leverage you have to pick the clients/industry you want.

jdnely

I was just assuming that you just get assigned clients on a regular basis and just keep moving around. What about travel? How often do you travel somewhere that requires a hotel room and how long, on average, are you at that location?

Dawgie

Luck of the draw son. I got put in a hotel for 5 weeks for year end before. Not a fan.

d.o.c.

I have a few quick questions,

I will be be a college freshman (accounting major) this fall and I'll be attending a school that is unaccredited, I have skimmed through this thread and did some research and I know that others have said that going to an unaccredited is not the way to go but, this school is one of the best in the state and by going to this school I will have many opportunities for great internships and such (big 4 etc...). What I want to know is that If I go to this unaccredited school will I be able to get an MBA from an out of state school that is accredited? or will I have to stay at the unaccredited school and get my MBA there? I also want to know if I will be able to get my CPA if I leave from the unaccredited school and to go an accredited school?

taxguy

d.o.c: when you say "unaccredited," what do you mean? Again, there are various levels of accreditation. The first,and most important, is the accreditation that applies to most colleges. I would bet that your college is accredited by one of these agencies. If not, you should RUN away from that school. However, as I said, I would bet that it is accredited by one of the regional accreditating associations.

The other is AACSB for business. This is an OPTIONAL accreditation. If your school doesn't have it, I wouldn't transfer out because , while it is good to have, it is OPTIONAL.

The final type of accreditation is AACSB for accounting. This is still in its infancy and isn't requried in any way yet.

d.o.c.

The school isn't accredited by the AACSB for business or for accounting.

oneposta

Hi,
I’m an accounting major at a small liberal arts school (don’t worry it’s AACSB accredited) finishing up my second year. I’m planning on finishing my bachelor’s here since I really love this school and then moving on somewhere more well know for my MAcc. I have some questions though.

How much does the MAcc actually matter and how much is it respected? I am under the impression that it isn’t really highly respected since it is mostly done in order to become a cpa and not really for the education. In other words, do I really need to worry on where I go to get my MAcc?

The big 4 do not currently recruit students from my school. What chances do I then have of interning for them (before getting my bachelors)? I guess I would have to contact them directly. One of the reasons I want to go to a bigger school for my MAcc is so I can get recruited after that. Do they usually recruit MAcc graduates or is it mostly a junior-senior type internship.

Also as a side question, when do students usually take\prepare for their gmat?

Thanks. This thread has helped me a lot so far.

taxguy

Oneposta, these questions are answered in this thread. I know that the thread is a lot of pages,but they are answered here.

cjones120

Would the Big 4 recruit from University of Arizona? Also, what would be a major (I'm not 100% sure on Accounting at the moment...) : Business or Entrepreneurship?