[Last Chance CPA]

Hello all. I live in So Cal. I am an experienced IT/Healthcare consultant and just finishing up the CPA. I figure the only way I can transition to CPA type work is to get into the Big 4. I also live in San Diego, which is not a great market.

I am open to travel all over California and elsewhere on the West Coast, and will relocate once my wife finished law school in May 2016.

Any suggestions on how I go about my research given my background?

Thanks!

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[mccaberp]

Not a knock on big 4 accounting firms but you can definitely transition to a small to mid-size CPA firm with competitive benefits and a better work-life balance. You'll get a more diverse experience of accounting, too. I do audit, tax, accounting services and consulting at my company and have a great schedule. We have several associates and senior associates who have transitioned from Big 4 to our company and love it. The Big 4 is great experience but you're going to be putting in some serious hours. Not for the faint of heart.

AUD: Pass
REG: Pass
BEC: Pass
FAR: Pass

First try CPA. Thank god. God bless America.

[Last Chance CPA]

@mccaberp – I have no experience in accounting/finance, so that's my real worry. I can't take a pay cut being the only one working, and I make management consultant money in CA!

The other problem is that I want to find employment now, but don't want to work in San Diego. I just want to travel to Orange/LA or the Bay area for work on a weekly basis. I am a travelling consultant now, so that won't be a big deal.

Are there non-Big 4s that would allow travel, and take a CPA with no experience? I figured only the Big 4s provide such options….hmmm.

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[soyanks]

Unfortunately, Big 4 firms are unlikely to hire a 37 year old, mainly because:

1) HR's priority is to fill their quota from their target school

2) You will have to start from bottom and many are skeptical that a 37 year old will take orders from a senior who is around 24-25 years old, etc.

If you are making “management consulting” money and if you can't take a pay cut, what is your motivation behind your desire to become a CPA?

FAR - 86
REG - 85
BEC - 90
AUD - 84

[Anonymous]

soyanks-

Your response is partly incorrect.

I've met more than one Big 4 Audit Associate that's over thirty, one of which made Senior Associate shortly after her kids graduated from college. This person is now a Director.

Big 4 cares about two things above all else: can you do the work and can they see themselves being stuck in a war room with you for 75 hrs in a week when some isht goes wrong.

I do agree that this guy should be prepared to take a serious haircut in the pay dept. If I were this guy, I'd try to get into the IT consulting dept of a Big Four, then do a lateral into Audit. Generally speaking, they'll let you do that if they like you. He or she could always just split the baby and go into IT audit.

[soyanks]

@billbrasskey. I've met 30 year old staff auditors during my time at a Big 4, but usually they were hired out of MBA programs. I agree with most of what you've said, but 30+ year old starting out from the bottom and succeeding (similar to your example) is more of a rare exception, than a norm. Odds are stacked against them. But I agree. 30+ year olds can make a great co-worker. But I am simply giving this guy a realistic assessment of his chances.

FAR - 86
REG - 85
BEC - 90
AUD - 84

[Anonymous]

I'll agree that it's an uphill battle. I took on my first job at a CPA firm at 31 years old after having spent my 20's as a beach bum bartender and lifeguard. It was an adjustment for sure.

At least this guy has some professional experience, especially in IT. That's a serious asset on some teams. The closest thing I had to client service was making sure the women vacationing on my beach enjoyed their stay.

[Last Chance CPA]

Thanks for the input. My plan was to do what billbraskey suggested. I am looking at Advisory (not Audit/Tax) type positions where I can keep my pay and position, and slowly transition over to accounting/finance. There are lots of Big 4 accounting positions in the Advisory service line.

I have the Big 4 plan in place. My question was, is Big 4 the only way to go about this transition?

BTW the closer my wife gets to graduating law school, the more open I am to a pay/position cut.

@soyanks – I always had a strong desire to get my CPA. I would like to stay in consulting and utilize my CPA. For example, I am open to into forensics, risk consulting, healthcare finance consulting, etc.

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Tripp11]

What kind of “healthcare consulting”? I'm in that arena and work for a small CPA firm.

AUD - 93
BEC - 80
REG - 86
FAR - 83

[GotCPA]

Pretty sure big 4 is EEO, and if you can't accept the fact that your seniors are younger than you but more knowledgeable in the area your going into, you should not be stepping away from your “comfort zone”.

[Last Chance CPA]

@Tripp11 – I have been doing Affordable Care Act stuff, helping set up the State-based Exchanges. Now I am moving into payer-side strategy and implementations, working with insurance companies to improve their business in this new world of healthcare.

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Tripp11]

^ If I were you, I would be researching CPA firms in the area where you would like to be employed and focus on those with a healthcare practice. I work for a 30-40 person CPA firm that specializes in healthcare consulting, and we have clients in over 45 states. We are a nationwide practice, client wise.

I would think with your background, you might transition well into a healthcare practice – and possibly even one of the B4 healthcare practices.

AUD - 93
BEC - 80
REG - 86
FAR - 83

[Last Chance CPA]

@Tripp11 – That's what I am doing right now. I am looking at getting into Deloitte, KPMG, and PWC's Advisory healthcare practice…

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Tripp11]

^ Nice! Good luck on the search, and I would like to hear how it went! So, come back and update this thread at some point.

AUD - 93
BEC - 80
REG - 86
FAR - 83

[Author]

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