Accountants: Do you like your job?

Has anyone here ever made a transition from accounting at a Big4 company to i-banking? Any words of advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Warren G.

Click to expand...

I'm glad you having a great time. =D Keep us update

Originally Posted by Flambeur

Click to expand...

good to know you've made it, dude

Thanks a lot guys. It's been a lot of fun so far. We were sent to a different city for training and when we got back to NY we were thrown right into the mix getting our hands dirty with a lot of work. I've worked on some HUGE deals with some very big clients and even saw some of my work go to the client. Obviously, I havent had an integral role in any engagement, but I'm still getting a lot of hands on work. I'm so glad I didnt get the position I applied for in audit. So far my only regret is not having more experience in MS Excel before starting my internship.

Originally Posted by ZhiMingBuFanDe

Click to expand...

Has anyone here ever made a transition from accounting at a Big4 company to i-banking? Any words of advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

One of my friends from high school did it. He spent 2 years in audit at EY then switched to a small consulting company then made it into JP Morgan Chase as an analyst. I'm sure it helped that he went to UT Austin and had really good grades.

My wife is currently finishing up her cpa tests (has 2 left, passed far and audit) any cpas have any advice on how to get into a big4 or midsized firm? also anyone who has any sort of connection or "pull" a pm would be much appreciated

NETWORK. NETWORK. NETWORK. and NETWORK.

I used to laugh at people when they would talk about "networking" thinking that only kiss-ass nerds worried about kind of stuff. Now I realize how important it is. Big 4 and other firms like to hire people who "fit." This means people that actually want to be there and someone who can work well with others whether you are on a project at 10am or 3am. How will a firm know you fit? Someone in your network refers you, and when that happens you are already ahead of the competition.

Hey all,

This is the last week of my Big 4 internship and figured that it would be helpful to share some of my experiences for those who are considering taking this route.


The past two months have been an incredible learning experience. I had always believed that the whole "I cant believe they're letting me do this" was bullshit invented by recruiters who were trying to attract young talent. I have to say it is absolutely not BS. Throughout these past few weeks in the office I was able to work on huge projects with huge clients but unfortunately, due to confidentiality, I can't discuss their names. Although, a few of the tasks I was assigned were mundane at times, they were absolutely necessary and added value to the project. It was really rewarding to see some of the work I did go to the client and used by others to make decisions.

In regards to the people. We were all assigned a mentor and mine was awesome. No matter how busy he was he always made time if I needed help with something, invited me out for drinks, and took me out to lunch on more than one occasion. I couldnt say more good things about him. Every single person who I was able to work with was extremely bright but also very helpful and always made themselves available to me. These people ranged from associates to partners! Everyone was so nice and down to Earth it actually took me by surprise. Towards the end of the internship I had to get engagement reviews from people I had worked with. Not only did these people reach out to my performance manager, but they took the time out of their day to pull me into an office and go over everything with me which was extremely helpful.

Fast forward to today and I was extended an offer. I'm thrilled.

I could type a lot more about my experience but had a couple of celebratory drinks and am tired of typing right now. If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me.

Originally Posted by Johnny_5

Click to expand...

Hey all,

This is the last week of my Big 4 internship and figured that it would be helpful to share some of my experiences for those who are considering taking this route.


The past two months have been an incredible learning experience. I had always believed that the whole "I cant believe they're letting me do this" was bullshit invented by recruiters who were trying to attract young talent. I have to say it is absolutely not BS. Throughout these past few weeks in the office I was able to work on huge projects with huge clients but unfortunately, due to confidentiality, I can't discuss their names. Although, a few of the tasks I was assigned were mundane at times, they were absolutely necessary and added value to the project. It was really rewarding to see some of the work I did go to the client and used by others to make decisions.

In regards to the people. We were all assigned a mentor and mine was awesome. No matter how busy he was he always made time if I needed help with something, invited me out for drinks, and took me out to lunch on more than one occasion. I couldnt say more good things about him. Every single person who I was able to work with was extremely bright but also very helpful and always made themselves available to me. These people ranged from associates to partners! Everyone was so nice and down to Earth it actually took me by surprise. Towards the end of the internship I had to get engagement reviews from people I had worked with. Not only did these people reach out to my performance manager, but they took the time out of their day to pull me into an office and go over everything with me which was extremely helpful.

Fast forward to today and I was extended an offer. I'm thrilled.

I could type a lot more about my experience but had a couple of celebratory drinks and am tired of typing right now. If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me.

Congratulations on getting an offer with the Big 4! I will be going through the recruit this fall.

Also, from what I've heard, is that those internships are pretty lax and you should be expecting a big difference when you start full-time.

We (the interns) did not exactly have a lax experience. Many of us worked A LOT of overtime and travelled to different states from projects. Last night I was in the office until midnight. I think what you have heard applies to audit more than advisory since summer time tends to slow down right after the audit busy season.

Originally Posted by Johnny_5

Click to expand...

We (the interns) did not exactly have a lax experience. Many of us worked A LOT of overtime and travelled to different states from projects. Last night I was in the office until midnight. I think what you have heard applies to audit more than advisory since summer time tends to slow down right after the audit busy season.

Yeah, I assumed that you were in audit. What type of advisory were you doing?

Originally Posted by Johnny_5

Click to expand...

We (the interns) did not exactly have a lax experience. Many of us worked A LOT of overtime and travelled to different states from projects. Last night I was in the office until midnight. I think what you have heard applies to audit more than advisory since summer time tends to slow down right after the audit busy season.

Congrats on the offer. Be a team player and keep your gripes to yourself. Also, don't drink the koolaid or be fooled by high priced meals, happy hours, free breakfast/lunch/dinner while at the client. Play the game while you're there, and be polite so that when you do want to leave, no one can say bad about you. When you feel its time to move, the transition to Federal Law enforcement is worth examining. It was the best move I made and I actually look forward to going to work most days. A take home car, pension, and other perks make it a little easier on the pocket and allow you some additional money to invest.

Originally Posted by enjoiii

Click to expand...

Yeah, I assumed that you were in audit. What type of advisory were you doing?

Transaction Services, basically mergers and acquisition consulting.

Originally Posted by Clown Shoes

Click to expand...

Congrats on the offer. Be a team player and keep your gripes to yourself. Also, don't drink the koolaid or be fooled by high priced meals, happy hours, free breakfast/lunch/dinner while at the client. Play the game while you're there, and be polite so that when you do want to leave, no one can say bad about you. When you feel its time to move, the transition to Federal Law enforcement is worth examining. It was the best move I made and I actually look forward to going to work most days. A take home car, pension, and other perks make it a little easier on the pocket and allow you some additional money to invest.

Definitely, I have no kool-aid in my belly, but am happy with my decision thus far. I had originally majored in accounting because I wanted to get involved in federal law enforcement. Maybe it's in my future.

Originally Posted by Johnny_5

Click to expand...

We (the interns) did not exactly have a lax experience. Many of us worked A LOT of overtime and travelled to different states from projects. Last night I was in the office until midnight. I think what you have heard applies to audit more than advisory since summer time tends to slow down right after the audit busy season.

Back when I interned in the big 4 (big 5 at that time) interns were paid hourly; not sure if that's still the case, but it sure was a lot easier to work until midnight when banking time and a half. Switching to salary after my internship ended was actually a pay cut per hour. And all those free happy hours disappeared...

I am not an accountant but I have studied some part of accounts in my MBA. I just don't know how people like it. One has to sail his/her boat always between credit and debit. I think this is subject which can interest only to those who are from commerce graduates.

Accountants are unhappy people who never have anything interesting to say. They are passed by like nameless pedestrians in their office corridors without arousing any interest or good will from anyone.

You sound like an accountant.