[Anonymous]

Short intro – Brand new poster here, only found this site yesterday as I now am preparing for the CPA. I had an undergrad business degree from the mid 2000’s, worked overseas, and recently came back to go into accounting. Enrolled in an MS program last year, went through recruiting season this fall, accepted an offer with a Big 4. The entire experience has been one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. If you asked me what the Big 4 were a year ago, I wouldn’t even know. Difference between public/private accounting..what? Oh, but I did remember what GAAP means after all these years.

Then I found this site. And have been reading posts from each forum non-stop. The different stories, experiences, challenges, everything have made me realize just how..uh..lucky I am? I’ll be honest, I applied to one and only one Big 4 because that’s where I wanted (don’t even ask why lol). I had no accounting experience, no CPA experience, and yet had no issue landing that one position. But I see people on here with years of experience, fresh from school, and even the CPA already finished and they can’t find A job let alone a Big 4 job. From my experience this fall and the experiences of my classmates (who all got Big 4 offers as well, some from multiple), I honestly thought people who wanted a Big 4 job generally got it and people who wanted regional/mid-sized/small got it because that’s what they chose and aimed for. But now it seems clear to me that some people throw their name in every hat and just pray because it’s actually extremely competitive.

I apologize if this comes off as some stealth brag post, it’s honestly not. It’s just reading this site and Going Concern (which I only found a few days ago as well) has given me a totally different perspective on this accounting world. I guess I feel like I’m in for a much wilder ride than I thought I would be, judging from some of the things I’ve read here. It also made me realize how ignorant I was to a lot of this stuff since I am technically a baby in this world. While I knew the Big 4 were the “BIG FOUR,” it never seemed like an impossible task for any eager individual. Not exactly like being a developer and getting a job at Google.. or maybe it is? I guess I’ll find out when I eventually begin.

Has anyone else who was fairly new to the accounting scene had a similar experience? A sudden epiphany?

Anyway, as I’ll be beginning in the fall I’ll be aiming to pass all of the CPA before then. I look forward to using this site and others in helping me with that. Also, if I was a bit vague with some of my info it was intentional. Things get back to you from online so I’d rather stay as ninja-like as possible.