<p>Bowlhead, I have not been a management consultant with an accounting firm. Sorry.</p>
<p>I don’t know if having a double major with MIS would be beneficial.</p>
<p>Hi guys, I have some questions for Big 4 internships,</p>
<p>Out of 5 years, what is the target year group for the summer internship?
What is the target year group the for winter internship?
Do Big 4’s hire Freshmen and Sophomores?
What is % of the full-time hires that were previous interns and newly hired?</p>
<p>Hey Mr. Taxguy, How aggressive do you have to be (in terms of networking) to get an internship/ full time job from the big 4? Also, Is it possible to volunteer for the big 4? (even if it is just scanning, coffee fetching, etc). Last thing, do you know any forums that specializes for people that want to get into the big 4 (similar to Merger&Inquisition or WallStreetOasis)? Thanks for your time</p>
<p>nycdave21…Don’t count on networking to help much for public accounting jobs.
Focus most of your efforts on obtaining a HIGH GPA. Can’t stress that enough.</p>
<p>jetlag…was “Do big 4’s hire freshmen and sophomores” a serious question? do you understand how college works? nobody gets a job until they graduate because school is a full time duty…why are you asking these questions about frosh/sophs if you’re a 4th year student who needs 5 years to graduate…</p>
<p>there really isn’t a target year for internships as long as you have enough accounting classes, which is usually reached by junior/senior year. </p>
<p>nycdave…theres a site called cpanet iirc, but you wont get any other different information then whats been answered here/can be answered by most people here</p>
<p>yo bowlhead they do hire finance majors, however it would only be in the advisory portion of the company unless u had a masters in accounting. I talked to a 2nd year at KPMG thursday who just had a bachelors in finance from UF.</p>
<p>TheCount66, “yo bowlhead they do hire finance majors, however it would only be in the advisory portion of the company unless u had a masters in accounting.” </p>
<p>Guys, be careful when you use words like only, always, never, etc., since most of the times there are exceptions. There are plenty of people with an undergraduate in finance who work as stuff accountants–whether in the big 4, or in an industry. In order to qualify for an accounting job as a finance major, you just have to have enough accounting electives, no masters is required.</p>
<p>my bad tosh, but in my case he wasnt interested in accounting at all, only finance. he said he was about to start a masters in finance when a friend of his in accounting said kpmg had an opening in advisory, so he basically applied and got it. he does state and municipal stuff i believe</p>
<p>IS it work taking the Payroll certification while attending college in order to get some entry level jobs? Is it worth the money and time to get certified in that kind of skill? or should I just focus on my classes and the CPA exam? How about memberships to accounting organization, worth the money?</p>
<p>If I want to do Big 4 accounting right after undergrad, do I need 150 credits to be CPA eligible? I have 15 credits granted from AP classes and I plan on doing a 15 credit courseload per semester which will lead to 135 credits.</p>
<p>^It’s not just about Big 4 Accounting. Keep an open mind about the other firms as well.</p>
<p>You need 150 credits to be CPA certified after you pass the exams.
You will be left with ~135 like you said. Which will not be enough if you choose to do the CPA exam. Get your credits out of the way before you become full time.</p>
<p>Ok so say if I end up with 135 credits. Can I enroll for a Master in accounting program for 1 semester and take the CPA to fulfill the 150 requirement or do I have to enroll for 1 full year? Thanks again</p>
<p>1 more thing, do firms hire undergrad students with 135? or do you have to have 150?</p>
<p>I believe it depends on what position you are applying for. However, if your goal is CPA or a position that will lead to that then they’ll want you to be able/ready to sit for the exam which means 150. Take the extra 5 classes (or whatever it is at your university) so you can sit for the exam. </p>
<p>To answer further, yes, many people do the Masters in accounting to get the 150 credits. </p>
<p>Figuring you’re an accounting major, it would only be an extra year (really 6 mos because you’ll have to take the extra 15 credits to get to 150). </p>
<p>Masters level education= qualification for higher level jobs or at the very least preference over those who are only BS. Why not just go for the Masters?!</p>
<p>This is what I mean when I said earlier that people read misinformed posts and take it as fact and give other people misinformed advice.</p>
<p>Samantha, in most states you do not need 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. There is a certain requirement such as 120 hours to sit for the CPA exam. Check your state’s CPA requirements. However the best time to start taking your CPA exams are before you start full time. Most people end up finishing their first year of employment, some on their second year of employment, some their third year, and so on.</p>
<p>Having a masters degree in Accounting will not give you a competitive advantage for higher level jobs over BS-only holders. This is probably a common mistake to think this.<br>
Many people do the Masters just to get to 150. </p>
<p>Qualification for high level jobs in the accounting industry is determined by your professional experience (persona, competency, etc) + CPA.</p>
<p>Sorry.</p>
<p>The simple fact that he was asking about 150 should indicate that he is in a state that requires the 150. </p>
<p>Personally, I try to avoid reading too many posts because so many are misinformed, biased, rude etc. The only reason why I replied is because, unlike previous posts, I recieved a notification.</p>
<p>I based my post on information I read on D & T website career postings yesterday.</p>
<p>While you may be mostly correct about education level, my life experience shows me that people who have less education will always say that more education is not necessary. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes “you don’t know what you know.” In other words, these are often the very same people who have been passed on for better qualified people, at least in entry level positions. But, then again, all we’re talking about is an entry level position.</p>
<p>ok i keep hearing mixed stories about how a masters is only for 150 credits and other people say that it does limit future jobs in the long run. Is there anything that you specifically need a masters of accounting for? </p>
<p>Also, I have another question. How does the CPA credit hours work with a mixture of graduate credits. I currently go to UF and unfortunately you only end up with 22 accounting hours because the last 2 classes(audit and tax) are only 3 credits each because they are graduate level classes, even though they are required for just a bachelors. If I were to just get 150 hours would i have to take an extra accounting class to practice in a state that only required 24 hours?</p>
<p>And, if I did decide to get a masters in accounting, how important is the reputation of of the school. Would it be looked upon as bad if I have a bachelors from UF and say a masters from FAU, which isnt as great of a school</p>
<p>Hi Count- If I’m not mistaken, aside from providing additional college credits, the Masters will assist in creating the knowledge base to pass the CPA exam. However, I believe this is only worthwhile if the master’s accounting program is AACSB accreditied (a lot are just MBA accredited which is not the same).</p>
<p>A master’s could possibly make one “overqualified” for a position. You may want to check the job postings/career boards of some places you’d like to work and review their preferences and requirements- knowing that if you have that preferred qualification, you’ll have a better chance at getting the job. I looked at D&T website, and found some postings (in their finance section for entry level) where they prefer MA. Whether you do a masters when it’s not needed should come down to a cost benefit analysis. </p>
<p>I am not qualified to answer your second question. However, I believe the 2 items are separate except (at least at my school) you may use college credited internship hours toward your CPA credit hours. To be safe, you may want to ask the your school’s accounting dept/ chair, review your course catalog, and ask your state’s board. </p>
<p>As far as I know, the accredation with AACSB for Accounting is most important. The material is about 98% the same regardless of university. So, they say it doesn’t really matter where you go, so long as you’re near where you want to live after you graduate. </p>
<p>I hope this helps. I’m sure others will also chime in. Be sure to independently verify all information you receive from everyone here so you can make the best choice for personal situation.</p>
<p>Hey Samantha, how is the situation in Vegas? Are there many public and private accounting companies? Is there a big demand for accounting majors in your area?</p>
<p>Hey Tosh,
As far as I know, it’s not so great here except for the casinos need accountants… Vegas’ economy is lagging. At least cost of living is lower here. </p>
<p>My plans are to hopefully finish up in the SF Bay Area because that’s where I’m from and where I want to live when I’m done. But, there are logistical/financial issues to that. And, having originally gone to a UC, I can say that the education at UNLV is, imo, far superior (learning wise and financially) than to going to a Ca (public) school. </p>
<p>This will be something I’ll be discussing with my dept chair in the next few weeks. She teaches one of my classes and we have reps from the Big 4 coming in to speak to us. I am curious to hear what they have to say because Vegas is not even mentioned on their career/job postings. I’ll try to remember to keep you posted, but I’m about to be insanely busy for the next 3.5 months.</p>