[sums]

I am a International graduate, passed my CPA tests and have a lil less than two years of experience. I have been working for small firms and my experience has only been with state and local governments and NPO audits. Now, after being done with my CPA I want to get into one of the Big 4s. The question is would it be a best choice to go back to school, get a MBA and go through college recruiting to land a job with them? I went to school out of country so I don’t have any connections with alumni or anything else that I can use for referrals. What is the best approach for someone like me? Sending in online resumes won’t help at all.Anybody out here who can help me make a decision? Some insights would be really appreciated.

Thank you

AUD84,FAR82,BEC77,Reg79

[FARbehind]

I never understood why anyone would want to go to public accounting, unless they have zero experience and 21 right after college. They pay poorly and exploit you badly. From what I see looking at our auditors (one of the big 4) they have horrible attitudes and they seem to be unhappy, childless, family deprived, love deprived, time deprived people… Every time I have to communicate with one of them I feel happy I never had to become one of them.

aud,bec,reg-passed
far-->75 Done!!!!!
ethics-100

[Anonymous]

I don't have Big4 experience, but I do have the college experience. Don't think college recruiting will land you a job. If you are going to consider going back to school because it will look good on a resume (because it will!!), don't be cheap and try to find an easy way out by going to Univ of Pheonix or an online school. Go to a decent school it will make a slight difference. If they say they are “accredited”, find out what type of accreditation. It's amazing how many accreditations there are. Univ of Phoenix is “accredited” but it is a very low classification.

You have to do your own footwork, college recruiting doesn't do much of anything. Go on to college websites, find out when they are having career fairs, or local career fairs through your town/county/state. Go to them. Talk to people, network. Networking in college with other classmates/professors will help as well! Good Luck.

[Anonymous]

I have corporate accounting experience.. I enjoy it. But want to learn more about other industries and accounting and finance.. so I'm looking for something different now. Maybe Public Accounting would be good for me for a year or two.. but I agree with what FARBehind said about public accounting. It would probably be awful for 2 years.. But who knows.. maybe I'll get with a decent firm ???

[sums]

Most of all I am trying to get out my current experience because I am limiting myself with just governments and NPO audits. I have had about two Big 4 interviews, they have asked about the industry and the clients. So I was thinking a Master's degree might give me a better chance of getting into those. I am tired of doing NPO audits because this experience I am accumualting is not taking me anywhere. I am still struggling to find a job like a new grad. And everytime I look at job requirements for large companies it says BIG 4 experience prefered. There is no doubt that the BRAND NAME works no matters what.

AUD84,FAR82,BEC77,Reg79

[Anonymous]

Hey sums.. if you have had 2 interviews with the Big4.. then they aren't looking for you to have a master degree, ya know?

You got an interview.. twice! That's good. Work on interview skills or figure out what they are looking for, then say keywords during the interview.

I have an MBA and I can't get an interview with them.

[potatogun]

An MBA in accounting, if you have an undergrad accounting background, is pretty worthless. The reason to get a masters in accounting is if you have a different background or if it is necessitated by your state board for the CPA. Either that or a masters in taxation would be worth it compared to just generalist accounting.

If you already have an accounting background and work experience and have passed the CPA, you're better off networking. You COULD go to a feeder school for big4; however, it would be a huge financial cost and opportunity cost.

I assume if you went to school it wouldn't be something like ‘university' of phoenix…

The fact of the matter is for big4 masters recruiting isn't so much the degree making you valuable. Most people I know who went the masters route into big4 have different undergrad backgrounds. Unless you had terrible undergrad account/econ/finance grades then it isn't worth it. People go back for the big4 recruiting connections.

And, yes, college recruiting is useful. Notice how big4 recruit? College recruiting and referrals.

I work for a big4 and I was hired from school. And people at big4 know the work is tough. We don't do it for the enjoyment of it.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[sums]

Potato gun and CPA someday,

You both are right and thank you for the insight. I think I am better off networking than going back to school, if I do I will get into a huge financial burden. So now my question is, is having an audit experience good or bad for me. In the interviews, I am always asked about the industry I worked in and its mostly non-profits or governments. I really want to learn more about for profits and SEC companies, I feel like I'm stuck 🙁

AUD84,FAR82,BEC77,Reg79

[limey]

Sums – there's tons of Big4 that audit NPOs/government, whether it's compliance, internal controls, IT. It's usually not an extremely large group, but the Big4 LOVE having the government as clients, cuz the gov't almost never goes bankrupt. I work at a place where some of my coworkers are dealing with them; we have lots of reports from all of them.

I really can't pass again!

[sums]

Limey,

One of the recruiters told me that they do non profits and governments to cover overhead costs and they don't make much money from them. However, I am not looking to do NPOs in a Big4, I want to start working on for profits and gain more experience there you know.

AUD84,FAR82,BEC77,Reg79

[potatogun]

Well just be sure to communicate your interests when you are at a firm. Opportunities greatly differ on the local market but if you simply would like experience with for profit entities, then that shouldn't be any problem.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[sums]

Will keep that in mind potatogun. Where are you located? I guess I should start networking from here itself. And thank you everyone for their help/views 🙂

AUD84,FAR82,BEC77,Reg79

[Anonymous]

Hi! Sum. I think depend on how bad you want to get into Big 4.

I graduated in 2008 and passed my CPA in 2009 but cannot get into Big 4… Stuck with Corporate Accounting…

I went back to school in 2010 for my master in Accounting and I got offers from 2 of the Big4 and second round interview for the 3rd Big 4(I didn't go because I already accepted the other offer). I will be starting Fall 2011.

Master degree is kind of the requirement for Audit position now…(I do hear people get into Big 4 with just undergraduate degree) Also, you will get the opportunity the network with the people from the firm. Well… go back to school for master is not a magic pill for you to get into Big 4 but open up the opportunity. Also, experience help. I have a little internal audit experience which help me a lot on getting the job.

P.S. The offer that I accepted is networking through a national conference not from school tho. The other one is from school recruiting process.

[sums]

Hey engasu, thanks for the info. For now I will try networking, going back to school will be my last option because I am not financially capable to go back to school at this time. What is the national conferencing you are talking about? Where are you located. How did you get the information about those networking events. And yes I want to get into Big4s badly. I might sound weird but that's how it is.

AUD84,FAR82,BEC77,Reg79

[Anonymous]

Can you give me your email.

[sums]

AUD84,FAR82,BEC77,Reg79

[Author]

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